Ok-Soon Hwang

Ok-soon Hwang, 102, beloved wife, mother, grandmother and great grandmother passed away peacefully in her sleep at Surrey Memorial Hospital on July 13, 2026.

She was born on November 10, 1923 in a northern region of Korea called Hamgyong during the era of Japanese Occupation. In her late teens, she fell in love and got married – rather unconventional in those days when most marriages were arranged. Shortly after, they moved south to Seoul where she had a son and a daughter.

During the Korean War (1950-53), she was arrested and captured by communist soldiers at gunpoint – only to escape! The war divided the country and she never saw her parents and siblings again.

After the war, she returned to Seoul and raised two more children.

She was widowed at the age of 58.

In 1980, she immigrated to Canada where she joined her two daughters and their families. She lived in Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver and New Westminster before settling into Amenida Senior Living in Surrey, BC at the age of 91. There, she continued her lifelong practice of going for one to two hour walks every day. In 2023, family members throughout Canada, South Korea, Switzerland and UAE, all flew in to celebrate her 100th birthday.

Both provincial and federal governments also commemorated her centennial with certificates of congratulations.

She is predeceased by her husband, Ho-ju Hwang, survived by her four children: Hee-Kyung Hwang (Young-sook), Sung-ock Choe (Joon), Joung-ock Paik (Inkee), Hee-jung Hwang, her many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.