Young Han Suhr

Young Han Suhr was born in Seoul, South Korea on July 8, 1939.  Her mother, widowed at 29 years old, raised Young Han and her brother, Min Han, to be loving, generous and successful adults.

Young Han survived the Korean War and did her part to help her family as an elementary school child by selling cigarettes to American soldiers, while her mother taught grade school to hundreds of children, displaced by the war.  She loved music and eventually graduated from Kyung Hi University with a major in music. Young Han taught piano and violin to many students and ended young  girls’ lessons by styling their hair.

Her brother introduced his friend, Jung Kyu, a classmate from medical school, to Young Han-a man he thought would be the perfect husband. They were united in marriage June 6, 1966.  Shortly after the birth of their first child, they arrived in the United States, where they would remain.  As a first-generation immigrant, Young expressed eternal gratitude for the opportunities this country provided for her family.  She played the violin in the Saginaw Symphony Orchestra for many years.

Young Han passed away on the morning of March 8th.  Left to cherish her memory are her loving husband, Dr. Jung Suhr; brother, Dr. Min Han Kim (Hyun Jo) of Medford, Oregon; daughter, Alice Lusk (Al); sons, Bryan (Kelly), and David; nephew, Dr. Hidong Kim; and five grandchildren, Hannah, Joshua and Sabrina Isaacson, and Ellie and Will Suhr.

After her passing, we shared the wonderful memories of her epic New Year’s Korean feasts, road trips in her Buick station wagon, her ability to make friends with everyone, including the make up consultants at department stores  who gathered around her, wanting to know the secret to her porcelain complexion (sunscreen and drinking a lot of water), and her ability to find the “perfect gift” for everyone.  Most of all, she loved her family.

Though the terrible disease of dementia was cruel to her in the last couple of years, she remains forever in our hearts, as the best mom, friend, wife, sister, aunt and grandma.  Forever Young.

Private services will be held by the family.