Hong Il Kim

Hong was born in February 6, 1956, and raised in Kunsan, South Korea. He had a great childhood enjoying outdoors with his friends, fishing, camping, and adventuring into the unknown world of the nature.

After graduating from high school, he spent and trained with a group of free spirited aspirants who dreamed to become famous actors in South Korea.

He also loved building, maintaining, and riding on his motorcycle during this time of his youth.

Soon after, he immigrated to the United States in 1977 with his sister's invitation. He worked in his sister's Cattle ranch where he trained himself to be a competitive rodeo rider in Tennessee. Later on, he moved to Austin and found a fulfilling employment with Carbomedics as a maintenance technician while raising his two daughters, Gloria and Jessica from his first marriage.

Hong took a great pride in Gloria's attaining her Ph.D. in Piano Performance and Jessica's employment with American Cancer Society after graduating from college.

In the year of 2000, he met and married the love of his life, Keumhwa Chun, Oriental Medicine practitioner. Keumhwa and Hong served the Lord together through Austin Korean Presbyterian Church. Their spiritual and social lives centered around the church.

They traveled to distant places including Alaska and Thailand for Christian mission works, mainly to provide free medical services to the under privileged individuals. Hong has served his church tirelessly for many years and was appointed to be the Elder of Austin Korean Presbyterian Church in 2005.

While Hong continued worked for Carbomedics and later for DJO Surgical, he was incredibly dedicated to raising Leigh through high school and supporting Joshua for his education and pursuit of becoming an ordained pastor.

Hong was a proud father of the U.S. Navy service woman when Leigh was recruited to serve the country as a bomb inspection specialist. Joshua was finally approved to be an ordained servant of the Lord on the same day when Hong drew his last breath.

Hong will be dearly missed by his loving wife, Keumhwa, and his four children, along with his siblings, relatives, friends and fellow believers from his church.

A prayer service was held in the Memorial Chapel at Cook-Walden/Capital Parks Funeral Home on Wednesday, September 4, 2017 from 7:00-9:00 p.m. A memorial service was on Thursday, September 5, 2017 at 10:00 a.m. in the Memorial Chapel of Cook-Walden/Capital Parks Funeral Home.