Kyoung Keun Suh, Physician Who Embodied the American Dream, Dies at 85

Kyoung Keun Suh, a retired anesthesiologist who became the first in his family to immigrate from South Korea to the United States to forge a better life for his family, died on August 31, 2026 after experiencing complications from Alzheimer’s disease. He was 85.

He was born in Seoul, Korea and was the younger of two sons. His father died of cirrhosis when Kyoung Keun was an infant, leaving his mother to raise her children alone as a seamstress. During the Korean War, the family fled Seoul for Busan, and Kyoung Keun’s schooling was interrupted for several years. His mother sold her only sewing machine to afford the train fare.

He returned to school determined to catch up. He became a class leader, excelled academically, and graduated from Sunrin High School in 1959. His older brother, Chang Keun, sacrificed his own college education to pay for Kyoung Keun’s schooling.

Kyoung Keun went on to attend Yonsei University College of Medicine, earning his medical degree in 1964. He initially dreamed of becoming a neurosurgeon, but tuberculosis left him with limited stamina. He instead chose anesthesiology, allowing him to remain in the operating room without the prolonged physical demands of surgery.

In 1969, seeking opportunity in a country facing a shortage of doctors, Dr. Suh immigrated to the United States alone. He left behind his wife and infant daughter, with another child on the way. He began his medical career in Chicago before moving to New York, where he trained in anesthesiology at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Three years later, his family joined him in New York.

Dr. Suh spent more than three decades at Albert Einstein, rising from resident to attending physician, associate professor and, ultimately, head of the anesthesiology department. He retired in 2002.

His professional success was inseparable from his sense of responsibility toward his family. He worked hard so that he could give his family what he never had.

After retiring, Dr. Suh and Okja traveled extensively and moved to Florida, where he enjoyed playing golf and eventually scored two hole-in-ones. He loved new gadgets, even when he struggled to operate them, and delighted in paying restaurant bills before his children could reach the check.

Eventually, the couple moved to New Jersey to be closer to their children and grandchildren.

Dr. Suh was not a man of many words. His grandchildren remembered him instead through small acts: the snacks he always offered, the rides he never failed to provide, the soft hugs, and the dry jokes that sometimes took a moment to recognize.

In his later years, Dr. Suh’s memory began to fade. At age 82, he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. His life began with loss and scarcity. He grew up without a father, watched his mother struggle to support their family, and lost years of education to war. He crossed an ocean alone, learned a new language, and spent years separated from the people he loved. Yet when reflecting on his life, he remained certain about the decision that had changed it: immigrating to America and becoming a citizen.

Dr. Suh is survived by his wife, Okja Suh; his children, Haeryun Ha, Haekyoung Suh, and Charlie Suh; his older brother, Chang Keun Suh; his sons-in-law, Sung Ha and Ben Witherell; and his six grandchildren, Taylor, Jason, Emily, Noah, Carmen, and Ruben.

In lieu of flowers or gifts, the Suh Family asks that you spread kindness and love, just like Dr. Suh did. 

Committal is private.