Jan Koal, 72
Jan G. Koal, 72
Jan was born April 16, 1949, in Bayshore, N.Y., to Ralph and Karin Koal. At the age of 14 his family moved to Longview, Wash., based on an intriguing article about the state in a National Geographic magazine and he has resided in the Pacific Northwest since then, except for a brief stint in Costa Rica. He and his wife moved to Coeur d’Alene in 2017.
Both Jan and his brother, Ralph, volunteered to join the Navy and they served on the Destroyer the USS Perkins from 1967-1968 during Vietnam. Prior to joining the Navy Jan had finished his senior year in high school, taking both regular classes and community college classes at the same time. Upon return he took 28 credits and 32 credits in two quarters to catch up with his graduating class.
As a young man, he developed many lifelong practical skills such as construction by helping to build the family home in Elma along with his father and brother. These skills were utilized in helping build two different churches, utilizing his sheetrock skills extensively. He moved to Pullman, Wash., in 1969 and, always a lifelong learner, completed a bachelor’s degree, two master's degrees and a PhD.
In 1989 he married the love of his life, Connie, and they were married for 32 years before he passed. They shared much love, many adventures and enjoyed traveling, especially to Canada for vacations. Their biggest adventure was moving to Costa Rica for a year in 2016. Though they were not blessed with children, they had many pets that brought a lot of joy to their lives.
Jan was active in politics for many years and was the political campaign director for various candidates at congressional, state, legislative district and county levels. He also served as a lobbyist in Olympia and was instrumental in the passage of legislation that benefited Vietnam Era Veterans from the early 1970s to 1998.
Jan owned his own business, The Right Byte Computer Center, for 20 years and was a man of honesty and integrity. Many young men had a great start to their careers working for Jan, who always put his employees first. In 1993, his company was named as one of the 500 fastest-growing privately held businesses by Inc. 500 magazine.
Some of his other endeavors included residential and commercial Real Estate and he served as an adjunct professor at WSU teaching Real Estate Investing, where many of his students told him it was the best class they had ever taken.
Jan was a very kind and generous man, offering help to others and serving in whatever way he could. His concern for the needy and those who were not as fortunate was manifested in many ways.
Being a farmer at heart, he loved nothing better than to talk about the latest vegetable gardening techniques and share the bounty of his harvest with others.
What Jan would most want to be remembered for was his love for the Lord and his love for the Word of God, which he spent many hours studying and sharing with others. He was a “deep thinker,” often rising in the middle of the night to search out Scripture.
I think he would say that this was his life Scripture: Micah 6:8 “He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” His heart’s desire was to hear the Lord say to him, "Well done thou good and faithful servant.” I believe he heard that when he was welcomed into heaven to the arms of Jesus on Aug. 13, 2021.
Jan is survived by his wife, Connie; his brother, Ralph Koal and his wife, Penny; and his brother-in-law, Douglas France and his wife, Maxine.
A viewing will take place from 3-6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 2, 2021, at Yates Funeral Home, 744 N. Fourth St., Coeur d’Alene. A memorial service with reception following will be held at 2 p.m. Friday, Sept. 3, at The Altar church, 901 E. Best Ave., Coeur d’Alene. A graveside service with military honors for those who would like to attend will be held at 4 p.m. at Riverview Cemetery, 1065 Lincoln Way in Coeur d’Alene following the memorial service.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial donations be made to Good Samaritan Rehabilitation at goodsamaritanrehab.com; or Open Arms Real Choices Clinic, a life-affirming pregnancy care center, at realchoicesclinic.com.
Yates Funeral Home is entrusted with final arrangements. Please visit Jan’s online memorial and sign his guestbook at www.yatesfuneralhomes.com
