So Kwang Cho

Our father, Cho So Kwang, passed away peacefully on October 17 at 6:36 pm. He was surrounded by his friends and family in life as in death. We will miss him terribly, but he left a legacy of beautiful memories and hilarious stories. He was a character in life and stoic in death. We love you, Appa.

Cho So Kwang was born on June 27, 1938, the second son in a family of eight children in Yeosu, S. Korea. The Korean War ended in 1945 when Appa was eight years old. As a young man he served in the army and then became a military policeman. When he got married to our mother, he decided that their best hope of a good life was in America, the land of cowboys and opportunities. Ben Hur was playing in the theatres in Seoul that year. It was October 17th, 1971.

After working for minimum wage in an all-night auto plant, he began learning the trade of construction and general contracting. This was his career and his passion for the rest of his life. He built our first house in Grottoes Virginia, remodeled our house in Sherman Oaks, and built from the bottom up the townhouses where my sister Hae Jung Cho and her husband James Bandy now live. Half of Koreatown knows my father. He build businesses and remodeled homes. Appa was never so happy as when he was driving around in his white Dodge Van or his 1970 Chevy Pickup, going to a job site.

"For the future" was one of his favorite phrases. He always spoke of his plans for the future and for all of us, the family he devoted his life to. Appa loved a good joke. He loved his friends. He was generous, honest, affable and gregarious. Our parents would have been married fifty years next October 29th. In their second life (after Hae Jung and I were out of the house), our parents enjoyed weekly ballroom dance, golf, and walking around Balboa Park. Appa had always loved to sing from the time he was a boy. He sang with the church choir and with Men's Pilgrim Choir.

My father loved to read the newspaper and discuss world events. He was a nature lover, a sportsman, politically active, intellectually curious, and believed in family. Even in his last weeks, he was concerned about all of us. He wanted to ensure that we would all live well and be together.

Appa's heroes tell you everything you need to know about the man: John Wayne, Charles Bronson, Muhammad Ali, John F. Kennedy, Bruce Lee, and Huell Howser. He loved this country and told me to tell everyone that it is the best country in the world. "We came here with empty hands." is a phrase I heard millions of times growing up. He was proud that he was able to make it in America, sometimes working seven days a week to make his American Dream come true. What my parents achieved in their lifetime is truly impressive. As first generation immigrants, they made our lives possible. Appa and Umma sponsored three of my mother's siblings and their children to come to America to make their dreams come true as well.

There will never be another person quite like you, Appa. We will remember you with admiration, fondness and laughter.

Arrangements are under the direction of Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills, Los Angeles, California. The funeral will take place Saturday, October 24, at noon, in the Old North Church at Forest Lawn.