Richard "Rick" Ray and Un Hwa "Lee" Kim Nelson

On January 18, 2017, Un Hwa “Lee” Kim Nelson passed away in Portland, Oregon. Just four days later, on January 22, 2017, her beloved husband Richard “Rick” Ray Nelson also passed away. They had just celebrated 34 years of marriage on October 18th, 2016. Rick was born on October 18, 1930 in Valdez, Alaska. Lee was born on September 22, 1941 in Seoul, South Korea. They had a strong connection in life, and even in death, they were connected, as Rick passed on Lee’s day of birth, and Lee on Richard’s day of birth.

It was fate that brought them together. In 1964, Lee moved to the United States from Seoul. She had met an American soldier, they fell in love, and she chose to leave behind her life in Korea to start a new one with him. Together, they had one child, Sherry. Ultimately, things did not work out between them, and they divorced.

Lee was working in a diner when she first met Rick. He would go to the diner to have a meal every day, and every time that he saw her, he would ask her to go out with him. She would refuse every time. Finally, after being asked out by Rick numerous times, she said, “If I go out with you, will you quit asking?” Their first date consisted of dinner and dancing, and they were inseparable after that. Lee told Rick that in order to marry her, he needed to first meet her daughter. He agreed, and Sherry flew to Alaska to meet the man who would become her other “Dad”. A year after their first meeting, Rick and Lee were married.

Rick and Lee had a wonderful life together. They each had their own hobbies; Rick enjoyed golfing, fishing, traveling, and a great poker game; Lee had a passion for weaving grass baskets and rugs, and spending time planting flowers. However, they cherished the time they spent together playing card games (Yahtzee was their favorite), Bingo, and taking trips to Reno where they would play the slot machines. For the majority of his career, Rick worked for the Department of Transportation in Alaska. He was also the chairman of Chugach Alaska Corporation for many years. Lee was a homemaker, and she was happy to be able to tend to the needs of those she loved during this time.

Rick and Lee loved Oregon, and they spent a lot of time traveling between Alaska and Oregon. They would live in Oregon for a period of time, but Rick always felt that Alaska was home to him. Lee loved Alaska as well, but to her, because her daughter lived in Oregon, it felt like home to her. In 2006, Rick and Lee made their final move to Portland, Oregon.

Rick and Lee will be fondly remembered by their family members and friends, and they will be greatly missed.

Rick and Lee are survived by many loving family members: Rick’s four sisters, Pauline, Arlene, Laura, and Evelyn “Babe”; Rick’s two sons, Larry and Jim, and Lee’s daughter, Sherry, and her husband Glenn; their grandson, Kenric; their granddaughter, Samantha, and her children, Caiden and McKinsley.

A Memorial Service in their honor will be held on Saturday, February 25th, 2017 at 2:00 pm at Bateman Carroll funeral Home in Gresham. Rick and Lee will be laid to rest at Willamette National Cemetery.