The grandson of Finnish immigrants, Jon grew up in Worcester, Massachusetts with his two younger sisters. The family religion was Lutheran, but by his early teens, Jon began to question those beliefs. He became a Unitarian Universalist in 1978, after hearing the Rev. Dr. Wallace Robbins of the First Unitarian Church in Worcester. Jon went to Clark University, where he majored in philosophy and the classics. Then, at Dr. Robbins’ urging, he went on to the Harvard Divinity School.
At Harvard, Jon met Annie, and they were married in 1981. She had come to Cambridge from Denison University, after growing up in a Baptist minister’s home in Ohio. After their graduation, Annie worked at Harvard for a few years, while Jon served churches in the greater Boston area. Over those years, Jon had the privilege of working closely with both the Rev. Dr. Dana McLean Greeley, first president of the UUA, and Professor James Luther Adams, renowned Unitarian social ethicist.
1986 brought many changes to their lives. Their first daughter, Laila, was born in Boston. At 29 years of age, Jon was called to follow the Rev. Dr. Nathaniel Lauriat, and the family moved to Hartford, Connecticut. Jon and Annie’s younger daughter, Julika, was born there in 1989. The family enjoyed a rich and rewarding thirteen years in Hartford.
The Luopas moved to Seattle in 1999 when Jon began his ministry at UUC.