Obituary of Wanho Cheung Woo

Wanho Cheung Woo (1935-2019)

사 랑

Dr. Wanho Cheung Woo of Lexington, MA and 45-year resident of Roslyn Heights, NY, passed away the afternoon of March 5, 2019. She was 82 years old. The oldest of four children of Jai Duck Cheung and Suk Yen Cho, she was a retired physician.

Born in Seoul, Korea, the family lived in Seoul under strict Japanese occupation until the end of World War II. A top student at school, Wanho attended a girls exam middle and high school. During the Korean War, the family had to flee Seoul in 1950 and settled further south in Taegu, but she was able to continue her education. Upon returning to Seoul, they discovered the family home burned to the ground, but they lived on the premises of the high school where her father became the principal. Fiercely independent and modern, she defied her traditional father’s wishes, choosing to study medicine. She was one of 2 or 3 women in her medical school class in Korea.

Wanho arrived in the US in 1958 for her internship and residency after completing medical school in Korea. She spent $20 of her $30 in her name on cab fare from JFK airport to her new job St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in NJ, the beginning of her life in the US. Meeting her husband in New York City, she married in 1962, and they lived in Upstate NY and Queens before settling in Roslyn Heights. She and Se Hyung often enjoyed classical music and opera at Lincoln Center. Additionally, Wanho enjoyed seeing the world, organizing all the family trips throughout the US, Europe, Mexico and the Caribbean. She retired in 1998.

Wanho was the beloved wife of 32 years of the late Se Hyung Woo. She was the proud loving mother of William Woo. She was predeceased by her sibling Wonho Cheung. She was the proud loving grandmother of Elizabeth, Everett & Melanie Woo.

A memorial wake will be held at the Edward V Sullivan Funeral Home, 43 Winn St., Burlington (Exit 34 off Rt. 128/95 Woburn side) on Tuesday March 5 from 6 p.m. – 8 p.m. https://sullivanfuneralhome.net/Home.

Burial will be on Thursday morning at 10am March 7 at Locust Valley Cemetery, 117 Ryfield Road, Locust Valley, NY.  https://www.lvcemetery.com/

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in Wanho’s name to the Alzheimer’s Association https://www.alzmassnh.org/ , 309 Waverley Oaks Road Waltham MA 02452.

Wanho Cheung Woo (1935-2019)

사 랑

1935              Born March 28

1950-1          Fled Seoul, Lived in Taegu

1953              Graduated from Kyunggi Girls High School

1957              Graduated Yonsei Medical School

1958              Northwest Airlines flight to America for Internship at St. Elizabeth’s

Hospital in NJ

1962              Married to Se Hyung Woo in NYC

1966              Becomes a Mother

1969              Moved to Roslyn Heights, NY

Began career as Physician at various local hospitals

1973              First return trip to Korea

1982              Accepted job at FDA

1984              Joined US Public Health Service

1993              Se Hyung passes away

1998              Retired from US Public Health Service as Colonel

2004              Promoted to Grandmother

2014              Moved to Boston area