Faye Arlene (Sprunger) Koop
Faye Arlene (Sprunger) Koop?a compassionately selfless mother, dedicated wife, and curious adventurer who was always on the move and expected those around her to keep up?passed
away on September 6, 2024. She was 69.
Born to Orlando and Beatrice ?Eula? (Douglas) Sprunger on April 5, 1955, Faye grew up in Berne, Indiana, with her three siblings. She was involved in many activities, including
band, playing piano and organ, cheerleading, and competing on her high school?s first girls? track team. Additionally, she was active in the First Mennonite Church, where she was baptized and played in the bell
choir.
Faye?s parents instilled in her a tireless work ethic (she gathered eggs from her family?s 7,000 layer hens every day after school) and the importance of family. They often loaded
a truck and a camper for vacations across the country, and the trips sparked Faye?s love for traveling, which she passed on to her children and husband.
Always studious, Faye graduated early with a history and secondary education degree from Bethel College, where she met her soon-to-be husband, Cleo. They married on December 28, 1974, at
the First Mennonite Church in Berne and spent their early years together farming in Nebraska. In the winters, they volunteered with Mennonite Disaster Service in Pennsylvania, Kentucky, and Texas, rebuilding homes for those
in need.
Service was important to Faye, and she dedicated her professional career to helping others. After earning a doctorate from Kansas State University in 2000, she was a Newton Public Schools
counselor before starting a marriage and family therapy business. From her home office, Faye helped clients rekindle marriages, break free from abusive relationships, and learn critical social-emotional skills. She also served
as a Sunday school teacher or youth group sponsor at every church she attended.
Faye?s top priority in life was raising her four sons. She motivated them to reach their full potential and created opportunities for them in education, sports, and music. She drove
hundreds of thousands of miles to their swim meets, frequently traveling across the country to watch them compete for only a few minutes.
Faye also enthusiastically immersed herself in her sons? interests. She went to rock concerts, played golf, coached high school swimming, swam laps during their swim practices, and
traveled the world with them.
She was their fiercest advocate and faithful companion in times of struggle and their No. 1 fan in times of joy.
Over the last decade of her life, Faye fought against Alzheimer?s disease, which stole many things from her life: her memory, her ability to speak, and her ability to walk. But the
illness never dimmed her love for her family nor the happiness she felt with them by her side. We celebrate that she is in the arms of her ?Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace.?
(Isaiah 9:6)
Faye?s parents preceded her in death. She is survived by her husband, Cleo, and four sons: Jeremy (Victoria) and their daughters Amelia and Zoya; Aaron (Melanie) and their children
Ella, Everett, and Christopher ?Kit?; Andr? (fianc? Amy Hocker); and Chacour (Paloma Olais). She is also survived by her siblings Marsha Sprunger, Elaine Crider (Richard), Bryan Sprunger (Vicki) and
siblings-in-law Kathy and Roger Friesen, Carol and Ramzi Farran, Jim and Lila Koop, and Naomi and Jay Dyck.
Everyone is invited to celebrate Faye?s life. A visitation is from 6 to 8 p.m. on Sunday, September 15, at Tabor Mennonite Church in Newton. A committal service at the church?s
cemetery is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. on Monday, September 16, followed by a celebration of life at 11 a.m. and lunch. Donations in Faye?s memory can be made to the Mennonite Disaster Service Cabinet Shop at P.O. Box 351,
Goessel, Kansas 67053.
