Dr. John W. Kim (1967-2006)
KIM, RUBLE
Posted By: Ames Tribune
Date: 7/5/2006 at 20:24:10
THE AMES TRIBUNE, Ames, Story County, Iowa, Wednesday, July 5, 2006.
Dr. John W. Kim, 39, of Williamston, Mich., passed away to eternal life on Sunday, July 2. John approached the challenge of his terminal cancer in the same way he approached all aspects of his life: with courage, hope and trust in God. Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. Thursday, July 6, at Okemos Community Church, 4734 Okemos Road, Okemos, Mich. with the Rev. Jeanne M. Randels officiating. Burial will be in Summit Cemetery at Williamston, Mich.
John was born in Seoul, South Korea, in 1967, and immigrated to the United States in 1970 with his parents. He grew up in Ames and attended the University of Iowa in Iowa City for both undergraduate and medical school. In tandem with his love of medicine, he was a great student of literature and music. He met his wife, Katie, at the University of Iowa, and they married in 1994.
He trained in neurological surgery at Duke University Medical Center. While he was able to practice medicine anywhere, John and Katie chose to call Lansing, Mich., home because they wanted to raise their family in a community with Midwestern values.
Like all interests that John chose to pursue in his life, he had a broad and deep knowledge of neurosurgery, using his abilities to expand the neurosurgical treatment options available in mid-Michigan. His patients were profoundly moved by his compassion, astute knowledge and clinical judgment, which made him a highly desired surgeon in the region.
While John had outstanding academic and professional achievements, his greatest success in life was as a husband, father, son, brother and friend. His soft-spoken demeanor, sense of humor, sharp intellect and sincere interest in the well-being of others were all aspects of John's personality that drew so many life-long friends to him and his family.
John is survived by his wife, Katie; two children, Anya, 10, and Elias, 7; his parents, Charles and Kee Kim; one sister, Maggie; his mother and father-in-law, Dixie and Gary Ruble; one brother-in-law, Matthew Ruble; and great-grandmother, Faith Ruble.
During his years at the University of Iowa, he received the Ciba-Geigy award for his commitment to volunteerism and his work at the campus crisis center and the free medical clinic. He founded the ThinkFirst chapter of Lansing, an organization dedicated to educating children about safe behavior in the prevention of brain and spine injury.
The family will receive friends at the Gorsline-Runciman Funeral Homes, 1730 E. Grand River Ave., East Lansing, Mich., from 2 to 4 p.m. and from 6 to 8 p.m. today. Gifts may be made in John's memory to the ThinkFirst Chapter of Lansing, 1575 Ramblewood Drive, East Lansing, MI, 48823.
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