Gil Ja Chun

Gil Ja Chun, 87, of North Haven, passed away peacefully on November 23, 2023 after her brave battle with cancer. She was surrounded by her loving family at the time she passed.

Gil Ja was born on February 22, 1936 in Geoje, South Korea. She was the eldest daughter among four children of the late Noh Duk Yong and Jin Duo Ah. She met her husband Young Chul Chun in their seaside hometown on Geoje Island, and they wed in 1959, going on to have three children while in Korea, Meeok, Taesan, and Mila. In 1970, the family immigrated to Connecticut where their fourth child, Millie, was born the following year. The family settled in North Haven, making it home and where they have resided for nearly 50 years.

Beginning in 1975, Gil Ja and the family became members of the New Haven Korean Church, where she devoted her time to support the church through various prayer groups, volunteering, and other spiritual activities. A woman of faith, Gil Ja was a devout Christian and always enjoyed spending time at her church and supporting congregation members with her husband, who serves the church as an Elder.

At home, Gil Ja was a dedicated and wonderful mother, the heart of the Chun family. Her home was always the center of family gatherings and celebrations throughout her life. Her constant care of her family, especially her attentiveness to her eight grandchildren’s success and good health, will never be forgotten. In her free time, she enjoyed cooking and gardening – gladly sharing her harvested vegetables with extended family, neighbors, and church members every season.

In 1976, after her youngest daughter entered grade school, Gil Ja started working at Yale-New Haven Hospital in the Environmental Services department, where she worked for 28 years until her retirement in 2004. She was a treasured employee. Gil Ja was recognized for her hard work and dedication when the hospital honored her with an employee service award, much to her surprise and gratitude.

Gil Ja will be lovingly remembered by her devoted husband, Young Chul; her children and their spouses, Meeok and Paulus Chan, Taesan and Cecilia Choi, Mila and David Clark, and Millie and Kenneth Kim; her beloved grandchildren, Andrew, Eric and Mitchell Chan, Josette Chun, Harrison and Emma Clark, Christian and Sydney Kim; her brother Hak Yoon Noh; and many cousins, nieces, and nephews whom she loved and cherished. Besides her parents, Gil Ja was predeceased by her older brother Jae Noh, and her younger sister Chung Ja Rominger.

Friends are invited to visit with her family on Monday, November 27th from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. in BEECHER & BENNETT FUNERAL HOME, 2300 Whitney Ave, Hamden followed by a prayer service in the funeral home at 7:00 p.m. The next morning, November 28th, friends are welcome to join the family at the New Haven Korean Church, 42 Glen Parkway, Hamden at 10:00 for a Funeral Service celebrating Gil Ja’s life, followed by her interment in Centerville Cemetery, Hamden.