He was born in Oong Jin City, Ham Kyung Province, North Korea on February 17, 1935. The 3rd child of ten Children. At the age of 15, during the Korean War he fled North Korea to seek refuge in Seoul, South Korea in 1951 with the remaining members of his family. After the Korean War, he served the South Korean Army from 1957 to 1959. After a few years from being discharged from the Army and while South Korea remained slowly rebuilding and in reconstruction, he sought adventure and opportunity in West Germany in 1963 as a there was a coal mining labour shortage. His determined work ethic and quick adaptation to speak German, English and Korean he soon was promoted to foreman of a team of Korean miners. In 1967 Choon Bae’s mining company asked if he would go to Canada to lead another team of Korean Miners in Nova Scotia. In 1969 he chose to travel to a Corporate mining settlement near Uranium City in Northern Saskatchewan which bordered the North West Territories. On May 27, 1969 Choon Bae Married Lee Kye Hwa who was from Daejeon South Korea. On January 5, 1970, the weather was -50 Celcius, Choon became a father for the first time to a baby girl, whose name was Tina (Korean Name: Hyun). It was clear that raising a young family in these extreme winter weather would not be ideal as Tina was premature. In early spring 1971, Choon Bae and Kye Hwa decided that it was best for them to relocate to Edmonton, Alberta where they would make it their home, as they were expecting a second child. On February 27, 1972 their second child, a son was born and they named him Tony (Korean Name: Won). In 1975 Choon Bae and his wife Kye Hwa became naturalize Canadian Citizens, joining their two Canadian-born Children. For the next 24 years until his retirement in 1995, Choon Bae provided for his family as a custodian for the Edmonton Public School Board.
On July 5, 1997 Jung Choon Bae’ s Daughter, Tina married Jay Ermube. Choon Bae became a grandfather for the first time to grand daughter Grace on his 30th wedding anniversary on May 27, 1999 and was a grandfather for the second time, to his grand son Alex on May 4, 2004. He loved to dote on his grandchildren. He loved to play with them and watch them during their music recitals, concerts and sporting events. Choon Bae’s Son Tony, married Margret Ramsey in Toronto on March 26, 2016 and reunited with his younger siblings for this special occasion.
He served his Canadian Korean Community to welcome new comers immigrating from Korea, as his was one of the first pioneering Korean families to settle in Edmonton. As an Elder of his Korean Presbyterian Church he served the Lord with all his heart and answered a calling to service on two short term missions, once in Costa Rica in 2010 and then together with his wife in 2012 to Northern China, near the North Korean border.
Jung Choon Bae loved Jesus and was obedient and devoted to God. Despite a Pandemic lockdown, at his bedside his loving wife Kye Hwa and daughter Tina comforted him until he peacefully passed away on May 21, 2021 at the age of 86 at the Grey Nuns Hospital in Edmonton from a short battle with Cancer.
He will be dearly missed by his family, his friends, his church and his loved ones.
“His Lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant! Thou have been faithful over a few things, I will set thee ruler over many things; enter thou into (the Kingdom and) the joy of thy Lord.” - Matthew 25:21
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