Annamma John

Annamma John was born on December 23, 1944 in Elampal, Kerala, India to Y. Yohannan and Sosamma Thundil. From a young age, she was brought up in a God-fearing household. Living across from The Pentecostal Mission (TPM) faith home in Elampal further strengthened her faith, and she was often seen helping serve in the house of God. As a young adult, she accepted Jesus as her personal Savior, took water baptism according to the Word of God, and was blessed with the Holy Spirit.

She was very studious and was top of her class for several subjects. Her desire at a young age was to become a nurse, as she loved helping sick people. She went to Mumbai in 1970 to follow her dreams and get her nursing degree. There, she worked at Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Hospital and gained practical patient experience that led her to become a compassionate caregiver. It was while she was working in Mumbai that she met her future husband, Thomas John, who attended the same TPM church. They were married in March of 1971. Later that year, she left India to further her career as a registered nurse in America. Her husband, Thomas joined her that same year, and they lived and worked in New York City for many years.

Annamma and Thomas were blessed with their first daughter, Bess, in 1973 and their second daughter, Julie, in 1977. They decided to leave New York City in 1976 to settle in New Rochelle, NY where they quietly raised their daughters, teaching them about living a faith-filled life. The family attended The New Testament Church in Brooklyn, Queens, and finally Yonkers, where they spent most of their time. While she enjoyed a long nursing career, working both in major hospitals and nursing homes, her greatest love was being in the house of God. She loved going to prayer meetings and was known in many circles as a true prayer warrior. Annamma would pray for the needs of people and continually check to see if that need was met.

She was beloved by many for her cooking. She enjoyed having people over and cooking their favorite dishes, which for many was fish curry, inji curry, and perippu vada. For her, the act of serving others and seeing them happy brought her great delight. Throughout her life, she and her husband hosted many of their friends and families in their home, many of whom were new immigrants and needed help to settle.

She never complained, but rather joyfully cooked, cleaned, and cared for them while still working a full time job. Even into her 60s and 70s, she continued to cook and make meals for others, especially for those who were ill or had little or no means.

Her love and devotion to her husband, children, and grandchildren were unfaltering. She also enjoyed her many nieces and nephews, often offering them advice and encouraging them to pray and seek the Lord.

In October 2023, she had a fall that ultimately resulted in an inability to walk or move her hands. Despite her physical limitations, she was steadfast in her faith that God was always with her. To all those around her, Annamma's renewed sense of faith was a testament of God's goodness through the storm. Even as her health deteriorated, she did not allow it to diminish her faith. She would enjoy visits and encouraging words from family, friends, and the ministers.

She became seriously ill the week of September 21st. During her last days, she was uplifted in prayers and many songs of worship. With loving family and the ministers surrounding her, Annamma peacefully went home to be with the Lord on the morning of Sunday, September 27th. God faithfully completed His work and welcomed her with open arms.

Annamma is survived by her loving husband, Thomas, children, Bess, Jaison, Julie, and Mayur, and grandchildren, Christopher, Joshua, Aneel, and Amaya. She is also survived by her brother, Varghese John, and many cousins, nieces and nephews.

While we will all miss her dearly, we find comfort and solace in knowing that she is finally in the loving arms of her Savior, Jesus Christ.

Attached below are the livestream links for the viewing and funeral service:

Viewing -> https://youtube.com/live/XJ_kJFRNcSM?feature=share

Funeral -> https://youtube.com/live/j7W6_IqMDkI?feature=share