Geung Goo Lee, businessman, leader in Chicago's Korean American community, dies at 84

Geung Goo Lee's hands told the story of his American dream.

They were calloused by the thousands of cars he worked on at his repair shop in Forest Park, and worn from his time as a welder in Chicago. Before that, they mined coal in West Germany and farmed in South Korea.

But when his oldest daughter Anna was to be married in 1999 he asked her if he could wear white gloves to the ceremony because he was embarrassed by his hands.

Anna and the rest of his family assured Mr. Lee that not only were his hands not shameful, they reflected the work ethic that made the wedding possible. Mr. Lee ditched the idea and was never embarrassed about his hands again.

Mr. Lee was born in rural South Korea, lived through war and toiled his way to the Chicago area, where he became a generous businessman, entrepreneur and leader in the Korean American community. Mr. Lee died July 17 of a heart attack. He was 84.

"He really did do everything that he wanted to do in his life," Anna Lee said. "He accomplished all of the big things that he had set out to do."

Mr. Lee, who later took the English name Michael, was born on Dec. 20, 1939, in Hansan Choong Nam Province in Japanese-occupied Korea. Mr. Lee’s father and mother, Yong Kyu Lee and Soo Bae Park, were rice farmers.

Mr. Lee completed high school in Korea and later served in the South Korean army, living through the Korean War. His family said he didn't like to talk about that period of his life.

With a dearth of opportunities at home after the war, Mr. Lee emigrated to West Germany in 1963 in search of opportunity, becoming a guest worker at a coal mine. In 1969 he boarded a ship to New York.

"He was captivated by the opportunity that the United States had," Anna Lee said. "He knew he would work hard, and while he didn't know what that would mean, he had this idea of grandeur that if he worked hard the opportunities would yield abundance."

Mr. Lee moved to Chicago because the friend who sponsored him for a visa lived in the city. Then he got to work. He earned money from two separate jobs as a welder while attending mechanic school, sleeping a few hours per day at the Lincoln Park apartment he shared with roommates.

During this time he met Seung Ja Oh, a fellow Korean immigrant, who became his wife. Mr. Lee, who was raised a Baptist, converted to her Roman Catholic faith so they could get married. They wed in August 1970 at a small ceremony at St. Clement Church in Lincoln Park. There wasn't a honeymoon; Mr. Lee had to get back to work and school the next day.

Mr. Lee eventually graduated from mechanic school and worked at several garages. He kept long hours and rarely took a day off. With the money he saved he opened Lee's Auto Service near Des Plaines Avenue and Madison Street in Forest Park in 1973.

Family said during its 30 plus years of operation Mr. Lee kept to a strict routine: open the business at 5 a.m. and close at 7 p.m., deposit his earnings at the bank and have dinner with his family.

His earnestness earned him loyal customers. He'd fix flat tires for free and occasionally forgive payment for minor services. Mr. Lee and his wife also owned other businesses in the Chicago area, including a beauty supply shop in the old Maxwell Street market area on the Near West Side of Chicago; a coin laundry; a wig shop; and a liquor store.

Mr. Lee never forgot his rural beginnings and shared his success with others. He hired people who were facing challenges and sponsored other Koreans looking for opportunity in America. He worked with a group that found homes for Amerasian orphans in Korea.

"He was always the first to pull out his wallet," Anna Lee said.

Mr. Lee's diligence and quiet demeanor often intimidated others, Anna Lee said, but her father was very affable and loved to host.

"He was always ready to have a good time, he loved to build community," she said. "He had so many friends. He was just one of those magnanimous, magnetic people. He was so loyal, people wanted to be his friend."

Mr. Lee retired in 2006 and threw himself into golf, travel and his family. He played virtually every day at Columbus Park Golf Course on the West Side. He was accomplished in the sport, having won several trophies since he picked up a club for the first time in 1979. He won the latest in June, coming out on top in the senior category of the closest to the pin contest in the Korean Martyrs Catholic Church tournament.

Mr. Lee also loved to read, tend to his garden, sing karaoke and was a wonderful ballroom dancer, his daughter said.

"His legacy is a family, the Korean community, these amazing rich relationships," Anna Lee said. "There was not an inauthentic bone in his body. There was nothing fake about him."

Mr. Lee is survived by his wife, two sisters, four daughters and nine grandchildren.

Mr. Lee's funeral will be held Tuesday morning at Chicago Korean Martyrs Catholic Church, 4115 N. Kedvale.