Obituary of Seichoong Chang

Our Father, Dr. Seichoong Chang was born on January 4, 1937, in Fukouka, Japan. He was the second oldest son of the late Byung In Chang and Florence P. Cynn. In Seoul, Korea, he graduated from Kyungki High School in 1955 and Seoul National University in 1959. He came to the United States in February, 1961, to study at the University of Michigan, where he received a BS, MS, and PhD in Electrical Engineering in 1969.

During his sojourn in Michigan, he married our mother, Hedam Baik on March 22, 1964. They were blessed with two children. Upon graduation, our father was employed at Cornell University/Calspan Laboratories in Buffalo, New York. He took a sabbatical from 1978 to 1979 to teach at Kyungbuk University in Daegu, South Korea. Subsequently, he took a position at MIT/Lincoln Laboratories in Boston, Massachusetts, where he remained until his retirement in 2003.

Appointed an elder of St. John's United Methodist Church in Lexington, Massachusetts, in March of 1986, he remained active in church ministry and local/international missions. He moved to Pennsylvania in 2003 and became a member of the Korean United Church of Philadelphia. His hobbies included music, playing the violin/clarinet, computers, and Christian ministry.

A loving husband, a doting father, and a pillar of inspiration and strength, he devoted his life to his family, to his friends, and to the Lord. He was a humble, gentle, and compassionate man, constantly placing the needs of others before his own. Following a long battle with cancer, he peacefully passed away, upon the Lord's beckoning, surrounded by his family, on July 23, 2009. His life and his memory will always remain in our hearts and minds. Despite our heartfelt loss, we take solace knowing that he is resting in peace, and in the hope that we will meet again at the gates of heaven.

He is survived by his loving wife of forty-five years; son and daughter-in-law, Gene and Susan Chang, and their children, Kathryn and Christopher; son and daughter-in-law, David and Diane Chang, and their children, Andrew and Amy; brother, Seiman Chang; sister. Seikyung Paik; and brother, Seipoong Chang.

With loving Memory,

Gene and David

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the American Cancer Society.