Eung Man Cha

Patience Perseverance Success. Do your Best. Enjoy life. 

These words were jotted down in Korean and English and carried in his wallet every day. These words exemplify how he lived his life and loved his family.

Eung Man Cha of Honolulu, Hawaii, passed away peacefully with family by his side on December 24, 2022. Dr. Cha was born in Hwanggeumjeong, Pyeongyang, North Korea in 1937 the son of Cha Chan keun and Hyun Choon kyu and the second of seven children.

Dr. Cha survived colonial rule under Japan and escaped to South Korea as a boy in April of 1947. From there he went on to graduate at the top of his class at Seoul National University undergraduate and medical schools. He met and married Sue Ok (Chu) Cha and they took the leap to immigrate to the US for his residency at Cook County Hospital in Chicago. Dr. Cha worked over 37 years as a radiologist and professor at Mount Sinai Hospital, Rush Presbyterian St. Luke’s Hospital, Assistant Professor at West Virginia University, McNeil Memorial Hospital, Daviess Community Hospital, and raised 4 children in Wilmette and Inverness, Illinois. He was passionate about his family and community and spent many hours to support and give voice to the needs of the growing Korean-American community in Chicago, including the development of the Korean-American Community Services center (now known as the HANA Center) and two Korean retirement homes in Chicago.

His loving wife passed away after battling illness in 1991. He then married O’Kee (Yu) Cha in 1992 and gained a step son to begin the second chapter of his amazing life. He and Okee moved to Oahu, Hawaii after his retirement. The two of them loved island life and explored, hiked and picnicked all over the island - they picked fresh mangoes, avocados and lots of macadamia nuts along the way. He also enjoyed daily walks in Waikiki and watched lots of Dodgers baseball, Korean soap operas and game shows. He was a deeply faithful and sweet man who has left an incredible legacy.

Dr. Cha will be deeply missed by his family. He always put them first and gave hugs and kisses freely. They will miss his warm smile, soft hugs and kindness. He was predeceased  by his mother and father, siblings Cha Myung sil, Cha Bok sil, Cha Eung jun, first wife Sue Ok Cha, infant son and his granddaughter Mirabel Telfair-Cha. He is survived by his loving wife O’Kee Cha and four children Sandy Cha (Mark) Sifferlen, Charles Cha, Stephen (Megan Telfair) Cha, and Brian Youngblood; his grandchildren Julia, Charles, Kate, Claire, Michael, Thomas Sifferlen; Alexia and Jacob Cha; Gabriel Telfair-Cha, Jane and Evelyn Youngblood; siblings Cha Jung sil, Cha Eung nam and Cha Eung yup.

A Memorial Service will be held at Ridgewood Memorial Park, Swan Chapel, 9900 N Milwaukee Ave, Des Plaines, Illinois, on Saturday, April 22, 2023, at 10:30am CST. 

Memorial contributions may be made to the HANA Center in Chicago https://hanacenter.org or the Seoul National University College of Medicine Alumni Association (SNUCMAA, Unit 810, 5501 Merchants View SQ, Haymarket, VA 20169) https://snucmaaus.org