Haesook Choi

Mrs. Haesook (Susie) Choi of Springfield, Virginia passed away on 21 July 2023 aged 92. She was born on 4 August 1931 in Pyongyang, Korea to father Il Gu Ji and mother Haksil Kim. She had a happy childhood as one of 12 siblings. She started attending church at age 7. She graduated from high school in Ongjin and dreamed of becoming a pilot.

Her happy life and dreams were shattered in June 1950 when North Korea invaded the South. After the North Koreans occupied Ongjin, her father and three older brothers were executed by the communists. At 19 she led the rest of her family – her mother, three sisters, younger brother, and her oldest brother’s wife and two young sons – to safety in the South. While entering a refugee camp she met her oldest brother’s best friend from high school, Kyungjin Choi, who was serving as an officer and unit commander with Korean partisans who operated behind enemy lines. She proposed to him several times before they married in 1951 and after the Korean Armistice of July 1953, resided in Seoul as they were unable to return to their homes in Pyongyang. They had three sons and two daughters. They ran a sesame oil business in the most prominent neighborhood in Seoul near the Blue House, the presidential palace.

The family immigrated to the United States in 1973, when she was age 42, settling in Northern Virginia and beginning a new chapter in her life. She worked three jobs to support the family. They bought their house in Springfield in 1974, only one year after coming to the US, and she lived there until her passing. She loved her garden with her favorite flower, hibiscus, surrounding her property and bountiful chestnut, persimmon, pear, and date trees. Her eldest son served in the Korean Army before coming to the United States, and her second son served in the Korean Navy and then, upon immigration, served in the US Army. Her oldest daughter served a career in the US Army, and her youngest son served in the US Marine Corps.

She was an elder in her churches, Andong Presbyterian Church in Seoul, Virginia Presbyterian Church in Franconia, and Sae Han Washington Presbyterian Church in Annandale. She loved singing hymns and would sing for several hours daily.

She was widowed in February 2009.

After heart surgery in 1997 she became a walker. She walked daily, even in the rain and snow. At age 89 she participated in the Army Ten-Miler virtually and won her age group and did the same in 2021 at age 90. She walked the full 18-mile length of the Mount Vernon Trail from Mount Vernon to Roosevelt Island in 2022. She participated in George Washington’s Mount Vernon Patriot’s ten- mile race. One of her favorite walks was from Yacht Haven on the Mount Vernon Parkway in Virginia, across the Wilson Bridge, to National Harbor in Maryland, and back, an 8-mile hike. She also enjoyed walking on the National Mall, from the Lincoln Memorial to the Capitol and back, and to the DC waterfront. Another favorite destination was Lake Accotink walking there on the Fairfax County Cross-county trail.

She traveled extensively with her daughter, Monika, and son-in-law, Tim. She lived in Italy with Monika for a time and visited Greece and Yugoslavia. She annually accompanied them to Germany, Austria, and France for commemorations of military battles. She also traveled to Korea with them. She made three cross-country driving trips to California with them. She and her husband visited Monika and Tim in England and Germany when they were stationed there. She and her husband also traveled to New Zealand with Monika and Tim to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary. She loved visiting the Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, and Zion Canyon. She frequently visited Shenandoah National Park and each time would climb up Hawksbill Peak, the highest point in the park. Her last ascent was on 8 July 2024.

She was a major donor to the National Museum of the United States Army and to Mount Vernon. She was a life associate member of the Society of the 3rd Infantry Division and was very active in its Outpost International with her daughter and son-in-law. She was known as Marne Mom (3ID is known as the Rock of the Marne) for her constant engagement and presence in the outpost’s activities in Europe, Korea, and in the National Capital Region.

She had a brilliant and infectious smile, a love of adventure, and deep faith. She loved life and the many wonderful people she met in her life. She was a survivor, she was patient, she loved America and Korea. One of the sad things for her was she was not able to return to her childhood home in Korea. She will be fondly remembered by all who were touched by her, most of whom affectionately called her Mom or Grandma. Her motto was “share your warm hands with a smile while you can.”