Kang Ju Lee

Kang Ju Lee was born on November 26, 1936 in Nonsan, South Korea to Lee Ki-jung and Cho Ok-yeom. She was the second of five daughters. She graduated from Jeonju Nursing High School in 1959 and worked as a nurse for 15 years. She also earned a bachelor’s degree in Korean literature from Jeonbuk University (1964) and a master’s degree in nursing administration from Kyung Hee University (1984). She married Song Jae-gap (pen name Song Hyuk, poet), a professor of Korean literature at Dongguk University, in 1965 and had three sons: Hojun, Heonju, and Jiyeong Song. She converted to Buddhism and followed her husband’s faith until she immigrated to Canada in 1990. She longed for her husband, who died in 1985, for many years. She then converted back to Christianity and was baptized at Vancouver Onnuri Vision Church on September 19, 2004, at the age of 67. She devoted herself to church worship, prayer, and Bible study until her health deteriorated in 2017. She began to live with her youngest son’s family just before the COVID 19 pan-demic started. She was admitted to the Fleetwood Place care facility in 2021. She, at the age of 86, was embraced into the loving arms of the Heavenly Father on June 3, 2023, at Surrey Fleetwood Care Home.

She loved her sons and grandchildren with patience and diligence, and always blessed them with beautifully written birthday cards and New Year’s greetings. She maintained a loving and prayerful connection with a few of her nursing school friends through greetings, photos, and letters until recent years. Her unique and beautiful style of writing stood out, and she was once encouraged to do creative work, but she gave up because of the shy-ness and hardship of life. Some of the letters she wrote were published by her youngest sister, who is a poet, and there are unpublished poems and essays. Her favorite psalms in the Bible were Psalm 1 and 23.

The family would like to thank all who have attended the service and do not take it for granted. They thank all friends, family, pastors and saints from Vancouver Onnuri Vision Church and Christ Covenant Church for their many visits, prayers and support for her. Special thanks to the staff at Surrey Fleet-wood Care Home for their compassionate care and support, especially the Registered Nurse Kim for her friendship and loving care, and Chaplain Peter Kok for his frequent visit, weekly Sunday service and prayer.