My maternal grandparents

In 1904, my maternal grandfather, Keum Whan Chang, immigrated to Hawaii from Pyongyang, Korea. He worked as a laborer on a sugar cane plantation for 10 years, after which he opened a country store. Since he was quite wealthy by that time, he sent for a picture bride from Korea. My grandmother, Do Yun Hong, arrived from Masan, Korea in 1915 and married my grandfather. She gave birth to my mother in 1916. In total, she had 10 children.

Later, my grandparents bought real estate on Oahu and rented it out. When they died at age 79, they were millionaires. In 2002, their bodies were exhumed from Nuuanu Cemetery, cremated, and transported to Seoul. There, they were honored in a special ceremony as “Patriots of Korea” and buried with full military honors at Daejeon National Cemetery.

I might add that my grandmother took the U.S. citizenship test and passed it on her first attempt. She became an American citizen in 1961 at age 65. It’s ironic that an American is buried in Daejeon National Cemetery. My grandfather never took the test, so he never became an American.

My maternal grandparents, Do Yun Hong and Keum Whan Chang:

My grandparents, Do Yun Hong and Keum Whan Chang, with Julia, my mother, their first child (1916):

This is my 72 year old grandmother with some of her grandchildren and great grandchildren. This photo was taken in May 1968. That’s me on the bottom right, wearing a dark blue dress with green trim. I was 22 at the time:

This is the apartment building (King Apts), which my grandparents owned on S. King Street in Honolulu. The duplex next to it was where they lived. These structures still exist today, owned by other entities unrelated to my grandparents. I lived in the duplex with my widowed grandmother 1965-1968 until I graduated from the University and left Hawaii to travel the world:

I just love to look at these photos and recall happy moments spent with my grandparents.