Jean Marie Hagopian

January 11, 1926 – June 14, 2025
Jean Marie Winsky Hagopian was born on January 11, 1926 in a suburb of Kansas City, Kansas, on a snowy winter night. Jean was anxious to see the world and could not wait for her father to bring the doctor before being born at home with the help of her grandmother Clara Jane Sutherland who just "happened" to be visiting at the time. Jean and her family lived in the Kansas City area for her first 11 years. She had two older brothers, Norman and Raymond (now deceased), and two younger sisters, Eva Lee Parker (now deceased) and Wilma Joyce Foster who resides in Florida.
When Jean was about 10 years old she accepted the Lord Jesus as her savior. She and her two brothers both went to the altar to receive Jesus into their hearts the same day, and all three were soon baptized in a horse trough that was brought into their church for the occasion. When she was eleven, the family moved to a farm in Lamar, Missouri, after her father had a swimming accident which left him paralyzed in his neck. He could no longer drive a truck for the Franklin Ice Cream Company where he was employed in Kansas City, Missouri. The farm could not support the family, so Jean's dad moved to Detroit and took a job at Freuhaugh Trailer. He later moved his family to Detroit. The family attended Everybody's Tabernacle in Detroit where miraculous healings often took place.
When Jean was sixteen, she was employed part time at Kaplan's Drug Store at the lunch counter. Johnny Hagopian often came in for lunch and soon fell in love with her. They married when Jean was only eighteen, and she later finished high school. Her first child was Mary Lou, six years later Linda Susan, and two years after that Richard Wayne.
Jean and Johnny lived in several homes, but in 1954 they together built their forever home on Statler in St. Clair Shores Jean worked the afternoon shift on the assembly line at the Chrysler Jefferson plant in Detroit for several years. When Mary Lou was a junior in high school Jean began attending Macomb Community College and later Wayne State University where she graduated a semester before Mary Lou! She began substitute teaching as soon as she had enough college credits. Johnny always handled the finances, and Jean wanted to surprise him on Christmas with his first color TV without having to ask him for the funds. It was a good thing Johnny did not always pay attention at meal time, since the family often slipped and started talking about her substitute teaching. It "went over Johnny's head," and Jean did indeed surprise Johnny on Christmas. He asked "where did you get the money?" She told him she had been substitute teaching while he was at work as a mechanic at Chryslers!
Jean taught 5th and 6th grades for 20 years in Roseville, Michigan before retiring in June, 1986. That month her precious mother, Jessie Naomi Winsky, went to be with Jesus. Her father, John Herman Winsky, had passed away several years prior. Jean and Johnny planned to begin traveling after her retirement, but unfortunately Johnny died of congestive heart failure on Thanksgiving Day of that year. Jean remained a widow until the day of her passing into Jesus' arms. She did not sit and grieve for all those years, however. Instead, she became the head of the food pantry at her church, New Life Assembly of God. She worked there tirelessly until age 93 when she had to stop because of failing health. She moved from her Statler home of 66 years in 2021 to an independent apartment at The Gardens in Springfield, Missouri, then on to Assisted Living at Ravenwood and then memory care at The Arbors where she resided until Jesus took her to be with Him on June 14, 2025. Her daughter Linda and son-in-law Ken Neale were her tireless caregivers (although Jean claimed to be "independent"!) Jean was a devoted Christian who often told the Devil she would not deny her Lord Jesus even though afflicted with many, many health issues including near blindness, difficulty hearing, inability to stand or walk, extreme pain, etc. She was loved by all who knew her. She could truly say as did the apostle Paul, "Follow me as I follow Jesus."
Jean enjoyed traveling and was blessed to take a cruise around the Hawaiian Islands with Johnny before his death. She loved cruising and before her health failed was blessed to travel with family and friends on several cruises-four to Alaska, two to the Caribbean, one to Hawaii, one to the Panama Canal, and one to New England. She also traveled to several states, Australia with her brother and sister, to Europe twice and out west with Wayne and Val.
Jean is survived by her children Mary Lou Schneemann (Rev. Samuel Seizert), Linda Neale (Ken), and Richard Wayne Hagopian (Valerie) as well as four grandchildren Rev. Dr. Kirk Schneemann (Heather), Tami Jones (Rev. Raymond), Lauren Adams (David), and Ashley Elver (Milo). Also living are Jean's eleven great grandchildren, four great great grandchildren, her sister Wilma Joyce Foster, seven nieces and nephews, and their extended families. She will be missed by her family and many, many friends.
Jean's greatest desire was that her family and friends would all know her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and be fully devoted to Him. She would remind us that faith and belief in Jesus as God's Son is our only way to heaven. Ephesians 2:8-9 says "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-not by works, so that no one can boast." NIV
Services for Jean will be at 11:00 am Saturday, June 21, 2025 at Greenlawn Funeral Home East. Interment will follow at 2:00 pm Saturday at Ozark Memorial Park Cemetery 1638 MO-76, Branson, MO. Visitation will be from 10:00 to 11:00 am Saturday prior to the service.
In lieu of flowers contributions may be made to New Life Assembly of God Church 16975 East 12 Mile Road Roseville, MI 48066 or Evangel Temple Assembly of God Church 2020 East Battlefield Road Springfield, MO 65804