HwaJa Lee

She was born in Kyunggir, Korea, the beloved daughter of the late Song Won Lee and Shi An and Goddaughter of the late Elizabeth Holzman and Anne Orgel. HwaJa is the loving sister of Jake W. Lee.

HwaJa lost her parents when she was a young teen and lived with her sisters while her brothers lived separately. She and an older sister worked in a tailor shop for the 5th Air Force repairing GI uniforms during the Korean War. In her twenties she was sponsored by Elizabeth Holzman to come to the United States. She lived with Elizabeth in Cleveland Heights , helping her to learn english and adapt to the American culture. These were very happy years for HwaJa. After Elizabeth's passing, HwaJa lived independently and enjoyed waitressing at Corky and Lenny's in Cleveland Heights. Health issues relocated her to the Westside where she became friends with Rev. Paul Hritz and the Ursuline Sisters of Cleveland who were very helpful to her. She resided on her own in Ohio City and later, due to a further decline in her health, she became a resident at Franklin Plaza. While attending a prayer service she met Rita Smith, a volunteer there, and a friendship developed.

HwaJa was an excellent seamstress and enjoyed knitting and crocheting for herself and others. Her well-made hats and scarfs were generously donated. In 2020 she received a thank you note with a photo from the 8th grade students at St. Leo the Great School donning the scarves she crocheted. HwaJa loved attending to her plants and feeding the birds. She was very proud to be an American and loved watching westerns and old movies on television.

In later years HwaJa became close with parishioners from St. Columbkille Church and the residents and staff at Broadview Multicare. She was kind and had a good sense of humor and business sense. She was loved by many and will be missed dearly.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Friday, April 26, 2024 at 1130AM at St. Columbkille Church, 6740 Broadview Rd., Parma, where the family will receive friends from 11AM until the time of Mass. Committal services will follow at 1PM at Calvary Cemetery, 10000 Miles Ave., Cleveland. Please meet at the main entrance of the cemetery.