Kee Chin Lee, 74, of Orlando, Fla., passed away on June 16, 2022.
Kee was born in Yeongwol, Gangwon Province, Korea, on Dec. 19, 1947. His father was the late Yung Kyoon Lee, who was a professor of surgery and president of Seoul National University Hospital, and his mother was the late Hong Woon Chun, who was born in Eunyul-gun, in what is now North Korea. He graduated from Seoul High School in 1966 and went on to earn his medical degree from Seoul National University in 1972. As a student, he enjoyed rock climbing and hiking. He went on to serve in the Korean navy as a medical officer from 1972-1975, earning the rank of captain.
Wishing to follow in the footsteps of his father, who was a pioneering cardiac surgeon in Korea, Kee immigrated to the United States in 1975 to complete residencies in general surgery and thoracic surgery at SUNY Buffalo between 1975-1983. He was a clinical and research fellow in cardiac surgery at Buffalo General Hospital from 1983 to 1984. After a year as an attending surgeon at Lancaster General Hospital, Kee accepted the position of attending surgeon of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery at Charleston Area Medical Center, where he earned a reputation as a skilled and compassionate physician. In 2010, Kee was recruited to lead the Cardiac Surgery Unit at Mon Health Medical Center in Morgantown, which he did until his retirement in 2015.
Kee was widely recognized as a highly gifted surgeon but his first priority was always the wellbeing of his patients. Over the course of his career, he saved hundreds if not thousands of lives, and many of his patients recommended him to family and friends. His former patients and colleagues have spoken of their love and admiration of Kee, telling us that they loved him, that he was an angel or that he changed their lives.
As well as being a talented surgeon, Kee had a wide array of outside interests. He was an avid student of history and loved reading on topics ranging from astronomy to classical antiquity. He introduced his daughters to Anne of Green Gables, chess and card games. He loved playing golf and found great pleasure in playing a round or two regularly, especially with his life-long friends from college and medical school. He also enjoyed traveling around the world with his wife. Although he lived in the United States for most of his adult life, he frequently returned to Korea in order to see his family.
He is survived by his devoted wife of 49 years, Joung Hwan Lee; his daughters, Julia Lee, Vivien Lee, Amy Lee and Sarah Lee; his sons-in-law, Philip Broadbent, Paul Segerstrom and Samuel Bryar; and his grandchildren, Keely Segerstrom, Peyton Segerstrom, Malia Segerstrom, Eleanor Broadbent, Silas Broadbent and Cormac Bryar. He was a beloved brother, brother-in-law, uncle, cousin and friend. Joung and his daughters would like to thank the many friends and family from across the United States and Korea who called and traveled to Columbus, Ohio in Kee’s final days to express their love and say their goodbyes.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the First Korean Presbyterian Church of Orlando in his memory. Donations can be made electronically at www.orlandofirst.org (click on “Donate”) or sent as a check to: First Korean Presbyterian Church of Orlando, 140 Lake Rose Drive, Orlando, FL 32835. In the memo line or note section, please write “In memory of Kee Chin Lee.”
A memorial service was held at Schoedinger’s Funeral Home Northwest, 1740 Zollinger Road, Columbus, Ohio, at noon on Saturday, July 16, 2022.
