Soon Ja Hahn

Soon Ja Hahn (née Rhee), our cherished wife, mother, and grandmother, passed away on December 27, 2024, at the age of 85.

She was born on June 16, 1939, in Yangpyung, Kyunggi-Do, South Korea, and later moved with her family to a large, sprawling house in Seoul. She was the first daughter of Myung Ku Rhee (father) and Nam Soon Kim (mother) and had five brothers (Sung Bock, Youn Bock, Joo Bock, Man Bock, and Soo Bock) and one sister (Mi Ja). She graduated from the private Ewha Girls High School in Seoul, and later attended Ewha Women's University, where she studied elementary education. She is survived by her husband, Sang Sup Hahn, her three children, Kee Suk Hahn, Margaret Hahn-DuPont (Joseph DuPont), and Kee Hoon Hahn (Shayna Hsu), and her three grandchildren, Sarah, Zachary, and Maia Hahn-DuPont.

In 1969, Soon Ja moved permanently to the United States with her husband and children (she lived first in Queens, New York, and then moved to Paramus, New Jersey, where she raised her family, before settling in Georgia following her husband's retirement). Her children meant the world to her, and being a mother was her first and primary focus, always. Soon Ja sacrificed so much and gave all of herself to raising her children; she supported, encouraged, and spurred them to succeed, and although English was not her first language, she was the source of her children's academic and professional success. Each of their achievements and accomplishments made her deeply proud. She was equally as proud of her three grandchildren, Sarah, Zachary, and Maia, whom she cherished. Soon Ja helped care for all of them in their early childhood; she showered them with affection and encouragement, nourished and comforted them, and celebrated all of their triumphs. She loved them unconditionally.

Soon Ja was also a woman of many talents and interests, although she was equally humble about them. She was exceptionally good with her hands - she excelled at crafts of all kinds, including knitting, crocheting, and needlework, and made beautiful clothes for her children and grandchildren. She was an excellent and natural cook, especially of Korean cuisine. She was also an artist at heart, studying pottery, watercolor painting, and Korean drumming. Soon Ja additionally had an astonishingly natural affinity with plants of all kinds - she could grow new plants even from cut flowers and grafted branches, and she maintained a large vegetable garden for many years that was a testament to her patient and nurturing spirit. As with her children and grandchildren, she loved to cultivate life.

Words cannot fully capture what Soon Ja meant to her family. She was the strongest woman we know. She lived through occupation, war, the challenges associated with immigrating to the United States, and the cancer that swiftly and ultimately took her life, and she faced them all with resilience, fortitude, firmness, and courage. She was unwavering and unapologetic in being the person she was, and she is, and will forever be, deeply missed.

Church services will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, January 18, 2025, at the Korean Church of Atlanta, 3205 Pleasant Hill Rd, Duluth, GA; flowers may be sent to that address. If you would like to make a donation in Soon Ja's memory, please consider donating to the Korean Community Services of Metropolitan New York (https://kcsny.org/).