David Lee Kim, 63, died peacefully on June 14, 2023 in
Brigantine, NJ. Born in
Bloomfield, NJ, and raised in Emmaus, PA, David was the son of the late Dr. You Song Kim and Dr. Kyu Sun Kim. David was a graduate of The Hill School (Pottstown, PA) and received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Duke University (Durham, NC).
David's professional career included several influential positions where he was honored for his work: President & CEO of the National Asian Pacific Center on Aging; Vice President at AARP, Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor to the Director of The United States Mint; and a Sr. Director for Asian Marketing & Community Relations at Anheuser-Busch Companies.
Equally impressive was David's commitment to service. He chaired and served on numerous national and regional boards. They included: OASIS, Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies, Duke University Library Advisory Board, National Osteoporosis Foundation, National Asian Pacific Center on Aging and the Multicultural Marketing Advisory Group for Diageo.
In 2021, David received the inaugural President's Award from the National Institute for Lobbying & Ethics for his work as co-chair of the Lobbying & Ethics Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Task Force.
Consistent across the many professional roles that he fulfilled was his desire to be a champion for Asian Americans, to represent their interests into the corporate, government, and non-profit worlds, to share cultures and customs, and to secure their place in our multi-cultural society.
David was an avid traveler and enjoyed visiting and learning about the peoples and cultures in countries and cities all around the world. But even more important and impressive than the huge list of places where he visited is the number of significant and lasting friendships that David cultivated and maintained from every place and from every phase of his life.
David's prodigious ability to remember names, faces, and important life details about people who were important to him was matched by his unquestionable loyalty, his genuine love and interest, and his ready willingness to invest himself and his resources to further the growth and development of others. Long is the list of family, friends, and colleagues who knew that they could count on David in their time of need and who will miss him deeply now that he has passed.
David is survived by his wife, Kyungi Han; his stepdaughters, Michelle J. Ko and Christina J. Ko; his son, Turner A. Kim and his mother Phyllis Leung Kim; his mother, Dr. Kyu Sun Kim; his brother and sister, John L. Kim and Esther L. Kim; and his nieces and nephews, Abigail, Hannah, Kai, Mikala, Kolby, and Julia.
As per the request of David's mother, a member of the Church, there will be no funeral service. As of now, there will only be a short graveside interment taking place on Saturday, July 8th 2023 at 11:00am at the First Presbyterian Church in Allentown, PA. The family is currently making plans for the memorial service, and further details will be shared soon. Visit David's memorial website to learn more. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you consider making a gift in David's memory to: NAPCA Digital Learning Academy Visit David's memorial website to learn more. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you consider making a gift in David's memory to: NAPCA Digital Learning Academy.