RALPH YUNSOO KAHN

RALPH YUNSOO KAHN Ralph Yunsoo Kahn, a resident of Wrightsville Beach, and formerly of Moneta, Virginia at Smith Mountain Lake and Martinsville, Virginia, departed this world peacefully on Monday, January 13, 2020, at his home in Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina. He was 94. Born on March 2, 1925 in Seoul, South Korea, he was the son of the late Iksang Kahng and Earay Kahng. Dr. Kahn graduated from Kyunggi High School, the oldest modern high school in South Korea, located in Gangnam-gu in Seoul. Dr. Kahn began his pre-medical undergraduate studies at Nippon Medical School, one of the most respected private medical schools in Japan. He was the only Korean to be accepted by Nippon Medical School in the year of his admission. At the end of World War II, Dr. Kahn was repatriated and graduated from Seoul National University Medical School, considered the most prestigious university in the country. Dr. Kahn completed his medical residency at Akron City Hospital in Ohio and at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit. He practiced radiology at Fairmont General Hospital in Fairmont, WV; Medical College of Virginia Hospital in Richmond, VA; Patrick County Memorial Hospital in Stuart, VA; and Franklin Memorial Hospital in Rocky Mount, VA. Dr. Kahn was the Head of the Radiology Departments in the latter two hospitals, ultimately retiring from Franklin Memorial in 1996. Friends and family knew him to be a classical music aficionado and a talented pianist in his own right. He was also devoted to his natural surroundings and spent much of his time cultivating his yard and gardens. He was a kind and gentle man who valued family above all. Children and animals gravitated to him. After experiencing hardship during World War II and the Korean War, Dr. Kahn cherished the optimism, generosity and spirit of his adopted land. He loved his birth country and was a fiercely grateful citizen of the United States. Dr. Kahn was a proud member of the Smith Mountain Lake Lions Club in Moneta, VA. Ralph is survived by his four children, Catherine Kahn Harris and husband, Raymond, of Sugar Land, TX, Leonard Kahn and wife, Stacy, of Lodi, CA, Barbara Kahn of Wilmington, NC, Michael Kahn and Janine Stuart of Key Biscayne, FL, and adopted daughter, Courtney Kahn of Mill Valley, CA; his grandchildren, Olivia Kahn Kretschmer, Charlotte Evans Harris, Natalie Denise Kretschmer, Sean Casey Harris, Hunter McMahon Kahn, Phoebe Minster Kahn, Hana Earay Kahn, Amanda Darrow Kahn, and Earay Gisela Kahn. Ralph is also survived by his brother, Dr. Raymond Y. Kahn, 96, of Pittsburgh, PA. A joint memorial service was held for Ralph and his late wife, Denise, who preceded him in death by four days. The service was held on Thursday, January 16, 2020 at Mount Lebanon Chapel in Wilmington, NC. A future memorial service will be held at Smith Mountain Lake, Virginia. Memorial contributions are suggested to Zimmer Cancer Center, New Hanover Regional Medical Center Foundation, 2001 S. 17th Street, Wilmington, NC 28401 or https://www.nhrmc.org/nhrmc-foundation/make-a-gift/make-a-donation or to Lower Cape Fear Lifecare (formerly Lower Cape Fear Hospice). Donations can be made online at yourgiftmatters.org or by mail sent to Lower Cape Fear Lifecare, 1414 Physicians Drive, Wilmington, NC 28401.