Sung Il Lee

When he was just 18 years old, Sunny fled from North Korea, forced to leave his parents, brother and two sisters. Through indescribable perseverance and grit, and certainly some luck, he managed to arrive in South Korea, where he would meet his kindhearted wife, Bong-Son “Helena” Lee. Together, they had four children. Sunny started a booming jewelry business, its success bringing him and his family to New York.

With Helena, Sunny spent his later years cherishing his nine exuberant grandchildren, playing golf whenever and wherever he could and traveling the globe from Florida to Japan and even Antarctica. Sunny was a man characterized by utmost discipline and a sense of routine. He went for a walk every morning and afternoon, pushing himself to do extra laps, even in his 90s.

Throughout every challenge he faced, from personal loss to the cancer that would eventually take him from this world, Sunny fought to live each day. Even in the final stages of cancer, he continued to walk. And when he could no longer walk, he stood. And when he could no longer stand, he read, watched travel documentaries and bestowed upon his family the gift of his affectionate words. His passion for living, loving and doing has been and will continue to be a deep inspiration.

We celebrate him on Tuesday, March 15th, 2022.

A funeral mass for Sung will be held Tuesday, March 15, 2022 from 10:00 AM to 10:45 AM at Our Lady of Fatima, 8 Strathmore Rd, Scarsdale, NY 10583. Following the funeral mass will be a committal service from 11:30 AM to 11:45 AM at Ferncliff Cemetery, 280 Secor Road, Hartsdale, NY 10530.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.ELBennettFuneralHomes.com for the Lee family.