Dr. Woo Bong Lee Obituary (1935 - 2024)

Dr. Woo Bong Lee, long-time resident of Bloomsburg, PA, passed away at the age of 88 on February 11, 2024, at Havenwood of Richfield in Minnesota, with his only child at his bedside. He is survived by his daughter, Dr. Alice Lee, and his younger brother, Dr. Woo Hyuk “John” Rhee. His lovely wife of 54 years, Lily, preceded him in death on February 3, 2023. Dr. Lee was born in Seoul, Korea on April 25, 1935. He came to the United States for his education with the plan to major in agriculture to help Korea rebuild after the Korean War. He attended Delaware Valley College with this intent, but upon graduation, he realized that the field he needed to study was economics. He returned to Korea and married the woman he loved on July 11, 1968. Upon returning to the United States, he matriculated to Rutgers University and earned his Ph.D. in economics. However, he did not return to Korea, but instead remained in the United States where he would spend the rest of his life. Much to the chagrin of his yet-to-be-born daughter, he decided against a job in New York City and instead settled into a teaching position at Bloomsburg University, where he would remain for over 30 years, many of which were served as the chair of the Department of Economics. He retired from teaching in 2004, took up golfing, got in the way of his wife, continued to share with his wife their love of music and reading, and then ultimately became her caregiver as she suffered multiple medical issues. They, much to their chagrin, moved to the colder state of Minnesota in 2017 to be closer to their daughter. After his wife died, what little spark he had slowly dimmed until he passed away on February 11, exactly one year after his wife’s funeral. Memorial service 11:00am SATURDAY, February 24th at Hodroff-Epstein Memorial Chapel, 126 E. Franklin Ave., Minneapolis. Flowers can be sent to the chapel or to 6401 Girard Ave S., Minneapolis, MN 55423. Education was particularly important to Dr. Lee; please make donations to your alumni institution in his honor.