Obituary of Dr. Sang Kyu Nam, M.D.
Sang K. Nam Obituary
OBITUARY
With heavy hearts and deep gratitude for a life profoundly lived, we announce that Dr. Sang Kyu Nam, M.D., age 84, went to Heaven to be with Jesus and to be reunited with his beloved wife on Sunday, August 13, 2023, surrounded by his loving family in Newton, MA. He leaves behind a legacy filled with compassion, dedication, and love.
He was born on February 2, 1939, to Sa Hee Nam and Soon Yee Choi. Dr. Nam’s early life was shaped by his academic achievements and insatiable quest for knowledge. He graduated from KyungPook National University, School of Medicine, in Taegu, South Korea. It was during medical school that he met the love of his life, Hee Suk Nam. After a memorable pursuit, they married on May 15, 1971, and came to the United States in June 1971. Dr. Nam had a rotating internship at Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center in Niagara Falls, NY, and completed his residency in Psychiatry in Massachusetts, followed by 4 years of Fellowship in Clinical Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School at Massachusetts General Hospital covering child, adolescent, adult, geriatric and forensic psychiatry. Dr. Nam had an extensive career history of clinical practice as an attending psychiatrist in inpatient private facilities of Saint Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, NJ, and as an Assistant Professor in Clinical Psychiatry at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Jersey. Nam also had private offices in Livingston and Warren, NJ as a private practitioner for over 40 years and helped hundreds of patients who have testified to his devoted and compassionate care. Dr. Nam was an accomplished, experienced, knowledgeable, and compassionate psychiatrist who earned the Gold Pin of Life Fellow of American Psychiatric Association as a Lifetime Honor.
Even more important than his illustrious career was his immeasurable love, devotion, and dedication to his family. Together with his wife Hee, they established a vibrant life, having one son and two daughters, becoming U.S. citizens, and forming an incredible community. Dr. Nam will always be remembered for being a man who wove love into the fabric of his family, giving constant hugs and kisses, along with open expressions of love, encouragement, and affirmation. He was a man of wisdom, constantly imparting invaluable life advice to his children and grandchildren. He was a man of patience, generosity, and gentleness. And he was a man of faith, reminding others to trust in God and always live with gratitude. He and his wife were dedicated members of the Praise Presbyterian Church in Somerset. In his leisure time, he was an avid reader and a lover of fishing, often taking his family out to share in this simple joy. Dr. Nam’s life and work will continue to inspire all who had the privilege of knowing him.
Predeceased by his loving wife, Hee Suk Nam, in 2017 after 45 years of marriage; his memory will forever be cherished by his three children: Richard H. Nam and his wife, Danielle Deller; Dr. Jennifer Nam Choi, M.D., and her husband, Dr. Jaehyuk Choi, M.D., Ph.D.; and Jessica Nam Kim and her husband Dr. Peter Kim, M.D. His legacy also continues through his seven adoring grandchildren: Julia, Kayla, Jayne, Emory, Grant, Brandon, and Joelle.
A memorial service will be held on Thursday, August 24, 2023, at 7 PM, at Praise Presbyterian Church, 15 Cedar Grove Lane, Somerset, NJ. The funeral will take place on Friday, August 25, 2023, at 10 AM, at Fairview Cemetery, 1100 E Broad St, Westfield, NJ. The Nam family is deeply grateful to all the medical staff at Massachusetts General Hospital and Care Dimensions Hospice House in Lincoln, MA, family, friends, and church members for their immense love and support.
Memorial Donations for Sang Kyu Nam can be made to Care Dimensions, 75 Sylvan Street, Suite B-102, Danvers, MA 01923, or online at CareDimensions.org/Donate.
