Syng-Gi Park

Syng-Gi Park, originally from Arlington Heights, Illinois, passed away on August 21, 2024, at home, surrounded by family in Chester, New Jersey. Syng-Gi was born in Pyongyang, North Korea, to Kyoung-Hwan Park and Bock-Min Lee. In 1956, at the age of twenty-one, Syng-Gi left Korea and settled in Jacksonville, Illinois, where he was awarded a scholarship to Illinois College, eventually earning his Bachelor's degree in Business from North Park University in Chicago. While attending college, Syng-Gi worked at Erickson Jewelers as a watch repairman, a skill he had learned in his father's jewelry store in Pyongyang. Eventually, Syng-Gi became the owner of Erickson Jewelers, where he expanded the business into a thriving store in the heart of the Andersonville neighborhood of Chicago.

In 1956, Syng-Gi married his wife, Betty Mieko (Yamada) Park of Honolulu, Hawaii, and they resided in Chicago for two years before finally settling in Arlington Heights to raise their family. Over the next decade, Syng-Gi and his sister, Yun-Ok Suh, helped relocate their mother and four brothers from South Korea to join them in the Chicago area. Alongside his success as a jeweler and businessman, Syng-Gi was also an avid painter and photographer, pursuits he cherished and spoke fondly of in his later years.

Syng-Gi was preceded in death by his parents, Kyoung-Hwan Park and Bock-Min Lee, his brothers Yun-Gi and Chon-Gi, and his son-in-law, James Kwok. He leaves behind his devoted wife, Betty (Yamada) Park, and their three children: Sandra (Michael) Tremante, Bryant (Joan Carbonara) Park, and Kathleen Park. Syng-Gi is also survived by his eight beloved grandchildren: Christian, Lucy, Charlie, Taylor, Nicholas, Andrew, Kathleen, and Mia, as well as his sister Yun-Ok Suh and brothers Myong-Gi (Yoonja), Jun-Gi (Elizabeth), and Yong-Gi (Michelle) Park.

A celebration of Syng-Gi's life will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, November 8, 2024, at Memorial Cemetery Park, 9900 Gross Pointe Road, Skokie, IL. In lieu of flowers, donations in Syng-Gi's memory can be made to the Alzheimer's Association.