Irene Chung Obituary

IRENE HI'ILEI MACKENZIE CHUNG, CHUNG Irene Hi'ilei MacKenzie Chung, of 'Ewa Beach and formerly of Kailua, passed away on July 23, 2025, and was born on August 2, 1946, in Honolulu. She embraced the Bah?'? Faith in 1969 in New York City and married Joon Chung in 1971. Their path together led from Hawai'i to Illinois to Tennessee, back to Hawai'i, and in 1987 to Seoul. She began working as a receptionist with the University of Maryland at Yongsan Garrison and rose to director, retiring in 2009. A steadfast servant of the Bah?'? community, she served on local and national institutions, as an Auxiliary Board Member, and as a Continental Counsellor for Asia (2000-10), supporting communities in Korea, Singapore, Cambodia, and Thailand. After Joon's passing in 2003, she remained in Korea until 2014, then returned to Hawai'i, settling in 'Ewa Beach. There she served on the Local Spiritual Assembly, tended Pu'u o Kapolei each week, and helped bring Bah?'? prayers into 'Olelo Hawai'i as part of a translation task force, culminating in the 2019 booklet E Ku'u Akua e. She is predeceased by her beloved husband, Joon, and survived by her sons Chahn, Kapono, and Lucas. Online memorial: memorialsource.com/memorial/irene-hiilei-mackenzie-chung