Keum Young Pang

She was born in Hong Seong, South Chungcheong Province in Korea on September 9, 1939 to her father, Jin-Yong Chung an educator, and her mother Byung-Ho Lee, as the middle child with 2 older siblings and 2 younger siblings.

Keum Young was a trailblazer for a Korean woman of her era. Growing up in a rural area in the midst of the Korean War era, she diligently worked to be admitted to the Yonsei University College of Nursing where she graduated in 1962. She later received a scholarship to study abroad at the Royal College of Nursing in London, England. In 1972, she completed her Masters degree from the University of Washington and received her Ph.D. from the Catholic University of America in 1983.

Keum Young also gained extensive experience working as a nurse - often at the same time she was putting herself through school. During her nursing career she worked at the Yonsei University Medical Center (Severance Hospital) in Korea, Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in New York City, University Hospital in Seattle, and finally at the Washington Hospital Center in Washington D.C..

After receiving her Ph.D., Keum Young transitioned to research and academia in the field of Medical Anthropology where her primary interest was how elderly Korean immigrants in the United States dealt with mental health issues within a foreign culture, without their full support system from Korea. She received a 5 year research grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and would go on to publish two books and many scholarly articles on this topic.

Keum Young was a proud employee of Howard University in Washington D.C for a quarter of a century. Starting as an Assistant Professor in 1984, she eventually became a full Professor in the College of Pharmacy, Nursing and Allied Health. She would retire in 2010 with the title of Professor Emerita and would be remembered by many of her students for both her practical approach to teaching and her kind demeanor.

Keum Young had always lived unadorned and simply. It was no different in retirement. Keum Young was well known to the neighborhood for her long morning walks where she was famous for her friendly smiles and waves of “hello”. As education was so central to her life, she continued to be a voracious reader and asked for new books on any topic so that she could continuously learn. Most of all, she enjoyed being a mother and grandmother and took her greatest joy from seeing her offspring growing in their various academic, athletic, professional, and spiritual pursuits through the grace of Jesus Christ.

Keum Young is survived by her husband of 52 years, Sunjoo, her son and spouse, David Sooho and Min Jeong, and her 3 grandchildren, Kaitlin Kieun, Matthew Kijoong, and Kristen Kiae. She is also survived by her sisters, Soon Young, Mi Young and many nephews and nieces.

A visitation for Keum Young will be held Saturday, September 21, 2024 from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM at Witzke Funeral Home, 5555 Twin Knolls Road, Columbia, MD 21045, where a funeral service will begin at 11:00AM. Interment will follow at Crest Lawn Memorial Gardens, 2150 Mt View Rd, Marriottsville, MD 21104 at 12:30 PM