Bokim Youm 1956 – 2019 – Eugene Weekly

Bokim Youm, née Lee, of Eugene, Ore., died of liver failure at age 62 in Springfield, Ore., on Saturday, Aug. 3, 2019.

Bokim was a junior in college in South Korea in 1978, when she took a calculated risk on her classmate Kyu Ho Youm as a campus sweetheart. Kyu Ho, a poor, first-generation college student, had big dreams of going to the United States, the land of freedom and opportunity, to fulfill his academic ambitions of studying journalism and freedom of the press.

The pair were united in marriage in Seoul in May 1980. Bokim joined Kyu Ho in Carbondale, Ill., six months later during the Thanksgiving week. Her unflagging support enabled Kyu Ho’s fulfilling life in America, first as a grad student from 1980 to 1985 and then as a college professor from 1985 to the present.

Bokim was the pillar of the Youm family: Kyu Ho, husband, of Eugene, Ore.; Harry, the Youms’ older son, of San Francisco, Calif.; and Eugene, the Youms’ younger son, of Portland, Ore. It was Bokim, above all, who made the Youms a loving family throughout the years—this, among other things, so impressed Sherry Chen that she accepted Harry’s proposal in early 2018 with alacrity.

To her husband, who tends to be absent-minded at home, Bokim was a smart, detail-oriented, family-first wife, although she immensely enjoyed working at the Tempe Public Library in Tempe, Ariz., and the University of Oregon Library for more than 20 years. Throughout their married life, Bokim was a constant source of bliss for Kyu Ho. When asked about the happiest moment of his weekdays, Kyu Ho unhesitatingly replied, “My 10-minute drive back home from my office. That someone I love is waiting makes me always look forward to going home after work.”

To her children, as Harry posted on Facebook on Monday, Aug. 5, 2019, Bokim was “definitely the best Mom in the world”: a caring, dedicated, and determined mother.

Bokim’s joy in life was to see Harry and Eugene fully living up to her expectations. Beyond academic hopes for her sons, Bokim always wanted Harry and Eugene to grow up with a sense of goals and service. One of her finest achievements was raising Harry and Eugene to be accomplished, wonderful, decent human beings in America.

Bokim’s “gamble” in the late 1970s paid off with a loving husband and devoted children who valued her role as Kyu Ho’s truly exceptional wife and the first-class mother of Harry and Eugene and the mother-in-law of Sherry.

Her family’s everlasting memory of Bokim as someone special is encapsulated by Harry’s Facebook posting: “Eugene, Dad, and I were lucky to have you and will always love you. Sleep well, Umma.” (Umma is the endearing Korean term for Mom.)

Kyu Ho, Harry and Sherry, and Eugene wish to express their special thanks to the committed doctors and nurses and others at the intensive care unit of the PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center at RiverBend in Springfield, Ore.

The funeral service in celebration of Bokim’s good life is scheduled for Friday, Aug. 9, 2019, at 10 a.m. at the Korean Central Presbyterian Church, 3360 Game Farm Road, Springfield, OR 97477 (https://centraleugene.church/).

A Note From the Publisher

Dear Readers,

The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.

That’s because of you!

Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.

Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.

We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.

And, of course, we’ve continued to bring you the stories and features many of you depend on: investigations and local government reporting, arts and culture coverage, sudoku and crossword puzzles, Savage Love, and our extensive community events calendar. We feature award-winning stories by University of Oregon student reporters getting real world journalism experience. All free. In print and online.

None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.

As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.

Thank you for standing with us!