K J Francis Joy, 67, former reporter with The New Indian Express at Aluva, passed away on Saturday. He is survived by wife Mary Francis, son Manoj Francis, daughter Sami Francis, daughter-in-law Jency Francis and son-in-law Reby Joseph. The funeral services will be held at the St Dominic Church, Aluva, at 3.30 pm on Sunday.
He was born in Kolamaparampil House in Aluva in 1945. He did his schooling at St Mary’s School, Aluva. After completing graduation from St Albert’s College, Kochi, he joined ‘Deepika’ daily. In 1987, he moved to ‘Express’.
A sports enthusiast, he captained his college hockey team and was also an NCC under-officer during his college days. Having done yeoman service in promoting karate in the state, he was the general secretary of the All India Karate Federation, apart from being the president and secretary in two separate terms of the Kerala unit. Considering his contributions in the field, the karate fraternity had honoured him with an honorary black belt in 1988, coinciding with the visit of Japanese karate master Kenny Mobini.
He has been associated with ‘Express’ for around 25 years, initially as a contributor and later as a reporter. As a journalist, he showed keen interest in covering various aspects of socio-political issues at Aluva and the surrounding areas.
He had a wide network of contacts in various circles across the state. A never-compromising attitude towards news and a genuine enthusiasm to cover incidents had made him a role-model for young journalists at ‘Express’.