Jonathan Baek

Birth date: Sep 15, 1944 Death date: May 25, 2025
With deep love and gratitude, the family of Seung Ho Baek announces his passing on May 25, 2025, in Honolulu, Hawai‘i, at the age of 80. A devoted husband, father, brother, engineer, mentor, and friend, Seung Ho lived a life marke Read Obituary
Since 2017, Seung Ho dedicated his time and energy as a School Support Docent Volunteer at the Waikīkī Aquarium, educating countless schoolchildren and making a lasting impact on young minds. His kindness and wisdom were immeasurable. He had a gift for making learning exciting, turning every moment into an opportunity to spark curiosity and wonder. His bright smile and positive spirit made an impact on everyone who had the privilege of knowing him. Seung Ho embodied what it truly means to be a volunteer. He was selfless, generous, and full of heart. I am grateful to have known him and will miss him truly. On behalf of our Aquarium team, rest peacefully, Seung Ho.
Since 2017, Seung Ho dedicated his time and energy as a School Support Docent Volunteer at the Waikīkī Aquarium, educating countless schoolchildren and making a lasting impact on young minds. His kindness and wisdom were immeasurable. He had a gift for making learning exciting, turning every moment into an opportunity to spark curiosity and wonder. His bright smile and positive spirit made an impact on everyone who had the privilege of knowing him. Seung Ho embodied what it truly means to be a volunteer. He was selfless, generous, and full of heart. I am grateful to have known him and will miss him truly. On behalf of our Aquarium team, rest peacefully, Seung Ho.
I will greatly miss Seung Ho. He was quiet, polite, gentle, and generous. He regularly volunteered in the Bishop Museum Herbarium to digitize our specimens. I worked next to him on occasion, and although we were each busy doing our own work most of the time, he would always make time to say hello and ask how I was doing. The amount of time he donated to the museum is amazing. He digitized thousands of specimens, contributing to plant research and conservation in Hawaii and the Pacific.
Baek, Seung Ho Howard
Birth date:Sep 15, 1944 - Death date:May 25, 2025
With deep love and gratitude, the family of Seung Ho Baek announces his passing on May 25, 2025, in Honolulu, Hawai‘i, at the age of 80. A devoted husband, father, brother, engineer, mentor, and friend, Seung Ho lived a life markeRead Obituary
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Jonathan Baek
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Seung Ho volunteered every Tuesday, from 8:30 AM to 1 PM, assisting with research projects and contributing to the museum’s behind the scenes work.
Donations: checks written out to:
“Bishop Museum”
Note: Memorial gift honoring Seung Ho Baek
Mail to:
Bishop Museum Development Office
1525 Bernice Street
Honolulu, Hawai‘i 96817
Online gifts can be made here: https://bpbm.ticketapp.org/portal/product/57
The online donation form asks people to note if the contribution is a memorial gift.
Hawaiian Memorial Park Mortuary At Valle Y Of The Temples
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Baek, Seung Ho Howard
Birth date:Sep 15, 1944 - Death date:May 25, 2025
Public Visitation Jun 19, 2025 at 9:30 AM HT
With deep love and gratitude, the family of Seung Ho Baek announces his passing on May 25, 2025, in Honolulu, Hawai‘i, at the age of 80. A devoted husband, father, brother, engineer, mentor, and friend, Seung Ho lived a life marked by intellectual curiosity, integrity, and quiet generosity.
Born in Killim, South Korea, on September 15, 1944, to Je Hyun Baek and Keum Hee Oh of Kongju, Seung Ho’s early life was rooted in deep family values and an unwavering pursuit of education. Through his father’s opportunities as a principal, Seung Ho’s drive to excel in his academics made his family proud. He earned both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering from Seoul National University in 1967, setting the stage for a lifelong journey of innovation and discovery.
In 1972, Seung Ho immigrated to Austin, Texas, to continue his studies at the University of Texas - Austin. There, he completed his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering in 1978, paving the way for a distinguished career that blended research, practical application, and cross-cultural collaboration.
He joined Eastman Kodak Company in 1981 in the Electronic Imaging Research Laboratory, relocating his young family to Rochester, New York. Over nearly three decades, he contributed meaningfully to Kodak’s research and development efforts in thermal imaging. With 38 U.S Patents to his name, Seung Ho Baek earned the Distinguished Inventors’ Gallery award on January 11th, 2000. He valued more so earning the respect and admiration of colleagues for his intellect, insight, and friendship.
Following an early retirement from Kodak in 2009, Seung Ho embarked on a second professional chapter as a Research Fellow with the Flexible Display Research Center at the Korea Electronics Technology Institute (KETI) in Seongnam-si, South Korea. From 2010 to 2017, he shared his expertise and global perspective with the next generation of innovators, helping shape emerging technologies with both rigor and imagination.
In 2017, he and his beloved wife, Byoung, settled into retirement in Hawai‘i Kai, O‘ahu. There, he embraced a slower pace of life—traveling the world, volunteering in his community, and tried perfecting his golf swing with joyful pride, especially at kamaʻāina golf fees. His warmth, humor, and steady presence touched all who knew him.
Seung Ho is survived by his loving wife, Byoung Baek, and devoted son, Jonathan Baek; his siblings Seung Hoon Baek, Keum Soon Hong (Baek), Seung Wook Baek, Seung Moo Baek, and Seung Hye Kim (Baek); and many extended family members, friends, and former colleagues around the globe who will miss him dearly.
His was a life well-lived: rooted in family, guided by wisdom, and uplifted by the belief that knowledge, shared generously, can build a better world.
The family asks that donations be made in his memory to the following community development organizations —causes that reflect Seung Ho’s lifelong values and joys.
**Celebration of Seung Ho Baek’s Life
Please honor Seung Ho Baek’s life by donating to three organizations he found joy in giving back to on the island.**
Waikiki Aquarium: https://www.waikikiaquarium.org/
Seung Ho participated in the School Support Program Docents program to help give lively presentations and guide interactive discovery tours of Waikīkī Aquarium exhibits for students in Kindergarten through 6th Grade. He volunteered one morning a week, usually Thursdays, from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. throughout the school year (October – May).
Those who would like to donate to the Aquarium can do so through the University of Hawaii Foundation. This is the link https://giving.uhfoundation.org/funds/12189604
In section 2 “Donor Info” look for the following section on that webpage to write who the donation was in honor/memory of.