Peter A Koury

Peter A. Koury, father, husband, accountant, and tennis player, passed away after a brief illness in the early morning hours of December 27, 2022. Although we mourn his passing, we take comfort in knowing that he lived his life – almost 93 years of it – to the fullest.

He was born in Natchez, Mississippi on February 5, 1930, the third son of Albert and Eugenia Koury. His parents, who had emigrated to the United States from Lebanon, taught him to both respect his Lebanese heritage and love the country of his birth. They also instilled in him the values that would define his life – faith, family, and work.

A few years after his birth, his family moved to Leland, Mississippi where Peter worked side by side with his parents and brothers in the family clothing store. He attended Leland High School where he lettered in three sports and played clarinet in the high school band. As a teenager in Leland, he was introduced to tennis, which soon became a lifelong passion, bringing him great joy and some of his closest friendships. Not only did Peter play tennis, he promoted it, serving in many positions in the Mississippi Tennis Association and helping found the Tennis Foundation of Mississippi. For his efforts both on and off the court, he was inducted into the Mississippi Tennis Hall of Fame in 1997. He also served as treasurer for the USTA Southern Section and in 2007 he was awarded the Jacobs Bowl, the Southern Section’s highest volunteer service award.

After Leland, he adopted the maroon and white of Mississippi State University, graduating with an undergraduate degree in 1952 and later returning to State to obtain a master’s degree in accounting. Peter greatly enjoyed seeing the Bulldogs win their first baseball national championship in 2021, and what sadly turned out to be his final Egg Bowl in 2022. In between his stays in Starkville, Peter served in the United States Air Force, serving in Florida and England, and attaining the rank of First Lieutenant.

After he graduated from Mississippi State, Peter embarked on a career in accounting which he would enjoy for over sixty years until his retirement at age 89. A certified public accountant, he always took great pride in the service he provided his clients and the bonds he formed with his fellow accountants, most of whom viewed him as both a mentor and a friend. In addition to devoting his life to his profession, Peter also devoted his life to service. Over the years he acted as President of the Boys and Girls Club of Jackson, Mississippi, the Mississippi Tennis Association, the Cedars of Lebanon Club of Jackson, Mississippi, and the Mississippi Society of CPAs.

Although he was always early to the office, most of his workdays started somewhere else – at mass. For many years a daily communicant, Peter’s Catholic faith formed a central part of his life. He often served as a eucharistic minister at church, was a proud member of the Knights of the Holy Sepulcher, and even prepared the tax returns for most of the Catholic priests in the diocese.

What brought Peter his greatest joy, however, was his family. While performing an audit of Southwest Drugs in Jackson, Mississippi he met the first great love of his life – Opal Ann Freeman. They soon married and were blessed with a son, Joseph and a daughter, Eugenia. After a long and happy life together, the Lord chose to take Opal home. Peter was then blessed to find the second great love of his life – Miriam Buttross. When they married, he gained not just a wife but two new children, Jennifer and Richard. Rounding out his relations were countless aunts and uncles and in-laws and cousins and nieces and nephews – all a part of the big family that he loved so much.

Meeting Peter in heaven are Opal, his mother Eugenia and father Albert, his brothers Joseph and Michael, his sister-in-law Magdalen, and a heavenly choir of relatives, business associates, and doubles partners. He leaves behind his loving wife Miriam, his children Joseph (Heather), Eugenia, Jennifer (Jim), and Richard, grandchildren Rebekah, Ryan, Delaney, Carson, Aubrey Claire, Preston, Josh, and Zoe Ann, and his many in-laws, cousins, nieces, and nephews who will all miss him dearly.

A visitation celebrating Peter’s life will be held on Friday, January 6 from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. at Parkway Funeral Home (1161 Highland Colony Parkway, Ridgeland, Mississippi). A Rosary will be led during the visitation starting at 6:30. Funeral services will be held on Saturday, January 7 at 12:00 noon at Sacred Heart Catholic Church (238 E Center Street, Canton, Mississippi). In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to Sacred Heart Church of Canton, Mississippi and the Tennis Foundation of Mississippi.