Sam S. Hahn's Obituary
Sam Suk Hahn was born in Sam-Cheon-Po near Busan, South Korea on April 6, 1929. He was the fourth child and third son of Chung-Kyo Hahn and Jung-Ja Lee. They moved several times, but most importantly to Pyongyang where Sam’s parents attended seminary until 1938. Most of Sam’s childhood memories are in Gupo where his parents started an orphanage for children who lost their parents during the war.
Sam completed college, attended law school, and seminary in South Korea. He also attended Calvin Seminary in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1957 and also Golden Gate Baptist Seminary in San Francisco, California. He completed his seminary degree and worked as a pastor of a start-up church, the Kaala View Baptist Church in Waianae. There he led the singing, accompanied the congregation on the piano, and preached. After he decided that the ministry was not his calling, he attended the University of Pittsburgh Library School. Upon completing his master’s degree and his internship at the Library of Congress,, he served as the curator for the Center of Korean Studies at the University of Hawaii.
Sam was married to Suk Jeong Ju for sixty-seven years. They have two children, Helen and David. They have two grandchildren, Christine and Grace. They also have three great-grandchildren: Charlotte, Victor, and Katherine.
In prior years, Sam enjoyed playing with his dogs, golfing, listening to classical music, and reading. His favorite advice to give was: Eat a lot; pray a lot.
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