Pok Nam Donnary

Pok Nam Donnary, 87, of Woodbridge, Virginia, passed away on February 19, 2026, at Vierra Falls Church in Falls Church, Virginia. She was born on July 15, 1938, in Kang Won Do, South Korea, to Do Won Kang and Kyung Soon Lee.

Pok Nam was born just one year before the outbreak of World War II, while Korea was still under Japanese annexation, and endured the hardships of the Korean War as a teenager. During those years, her family would sometimes retreat into the mountains for safety, and Pok Nam and her sisters took turns keeping watch over the family home, a testament to the courage and resilience that would define her throughout her life.

After the Korean War, she met Jean Jacques Donnary, known to her family as "Uncle Jack," an American soldier stationed in Korea. The two fell in love and were married at the United States Embassy in South Korea in 1963. A year later, Pok Nam immigrated to the United States with her husband, beginning a new life in Virginia.

As a veteran’s wife, Pok Nam served as a custodian at the Fort Belvoir Officers' Club for more than twenty years. Her dedication earned her the Army Commendation Medal for Civilian Service in July 1966, in recognition of outstanding performance and work ethic.

Though she and Jack were unable to have children of their own, Pok Nam expressed her maternal instincts by spending time with her family and friends and raising her cherished toy poodles as if they were her children.

Pok Nam was preceded in death by her husband, Jean Jacques Donnary; her parents, Do Won Kang and Kyung Soon Lee; and her siblings, Nam Yee Kang, Bang Ooh Kang, Hee Ja Kang, Sin Ho Kang, and Sun Ja Kang.

She is survived by her sisters, Sook Ja Kang and Young Ja Kang; her sister-in-law, Chom Hyo Kang, widow of her brother Sin Ho Kang; her nephew, Song Kang, and his wife Hi Sung Kang, and their children Ellie, Jaysen, and Joshua; her niece, Tae Crotty, and her husband John Crotty, and their children Max and Oliver; and an extended family of nieces and nephews in Korea.

An intimate family service will be held at Demaine Funeral Home in Alexandria, Virginia, where her husband, Jack, was honored, and she will be laid to rest beside him at Mount Comfort Cemetery.

She lived her life spirited and independent, never asking for much. But to those around her, she always had a kind word and a ready smile. Her life was shaped by war, loss, and great distances, yet she came out the other side with her resilient spirit intact and her light undimmed. She will be deeply missed.