Obituary of Ok Hwa Litweiler

May this summary of Ok Hwa's life serve to recognize all the Steel Lotuses who grew up during the Korean War and its aftermath.

Ok Hwa was born and raised in a town near Wonju, South Korea. Her father, Won Hyon, was a Government Official. It is assumed that her father and eldest brother were murdered after being kidnapped during the Communist invasion. At this same time her mother, In Kun, was beaten so badly she was crippled, which contributed to her short life.

Ok Hwa had a large family that consisted of eight brothers and sisters as well as one adopted sister. She and her family were fortunate to have owned land. With no free schooling Ok Hwa's formal education ended with the equivalent of Middle School. What family money there was went to the education of her eldest living brothers. Ok Hwa worked on the family land and at the time of her marriage she was teaching traditional Korean dance in a school owned by her cousin.

After marriage Ok Hwa moved with her husband, Charles (Chuck), to Chicago, IL. She worked at two different places...one of them was the Florsheim Shoe Factory who is a best-known American producer. After gaining citizenship she brought over two sisters, two brothers, and their children. In late 1975, while pregnant with her first child, she moved to Madison, WI with her husband. She worked in the Hand Bindery at Webcrafters for over 30 years until she retired and became a Costco Food Demonstrator for the past seven years until she retired again this past October.

Ok Hwa embodied the highest ideals for the traditional Korean woman. She had none of the choices that modern women have. Her role in life was imposed on her and she embraced it. Whatever she did she did exceptionally well. She was the finest cook her family could imagine. Her kimchi was the envy of her friends. Much of Korean food takes great effort to make and she was prideful of her cooking skills. If she cooked for you, it meant she cared for you as this is one the ways she showed her love and appreciation.

This time of year, she enjoyed harvesting wild plants. She also devoted time and effort to the full production of her garden. She enjoyed sharing the fruits of her labor with family, friends, and her church family. She was generous in her giving.

Ok Hwa was confident in her abilities. She shunned anything resembling self-promotion. Her work spoke for itself and honored God. She was generous to family, friends, and church. She was babysitting her grandson in Minnesota at the time of her death. We are grateful that she was able to experience and impart love and joy into his young life.

Ok Hwa is survived by her Husband Chuck, Son John, Daughter Linda, Grandson Michael, younger Sister and best friend Sun Yo, older Brother Kyong Sik Cho, and younger Brother Yong Sik Cho, along with many beloved nieces and nephews whom she helped raise.

"Establish Thou the work of my hands; the work of my hands establish Thou it”.

A celebration of life service will be held at the Korean Presbyterian Church of Madison, located at 6906 Colony Dr, Madison, WI 53717, on Saturday, June 22nd. The visitation will be at 10:30 am with the service starting at 11:00 am.

The family requests that donations in her memory be made to the Korean Presbyterian Church of Madison or the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network.