Ho Keun Thomas Chang After a brief illness, passed away on July 10th at the age of 100 years old.
Born on November 13, 1906 in Eun Yul Hwang Hae Do, Korea to Han Kyung Chang (father) and Soo Eun Kim (mother). In 1922, Ho Keun Thomas Chang fled the Japanese occupation of Korea and traveled to Shanghai, China. There he completed high school and college at Dong Jae University, taught by German faculty, where he graduated with a degree in mechanical and electrical engineering.
In 1943 Chang returned to Korea, and in 1945, became a founding member of the Korean navy. He retired from the navy in 1960, a decorated rear admiral, and held the position of vice president of a Korean oil refinery for six years. He immigrated to the U.S. in 1979 at the age of 73 where he was a long term resident at the Brook School Apartments in Weston, Massachusetts.
Ho Keun Chang was an earnest optimist, a devout Catholic, and a loving father. He was also an avid gardener and, until recently, a fanatical golfer. When questioned, he attributed his long life to love, laughter, and an appreciation for all of life’s challenges and blessings.
Mr. Chang is survived by eight children (Hai Ok Hwang of Weston, John Chang of Norwell, Massachusetts, Young Sil, Hae Sun, and Hae Kyung of Atlanta, Georgia, and Seung Jun of Los Angeles, California, Wha Sil and Seung Hoon in Seoul, Korea), twenty-three grandchildren and fourteen great grandchildren.
His funeral will be held from the George F. Doherty & Sons Funeral Home, 477 Washington St., Wellesley, on Friday, July 13th, at 9:00 AM with a funeral service in the Korean Catholic Community of Boston, 1518 Beacon St., Waban, at 10:00 AM. Relatives and friends are kindly invited to attend. Visiting hours will be held on Thursday from 5-8 PM. Interment will be in Linwood Cemetery, Weston.