Yong Soon Demps

Yong Soon Demps was born as Yong Soon Oh on the lunar calendar 11th day of the second month in year 1929. Her birthplace was Chung Cheong Nam Do, South Korea. She passed away peacefully on August 13, 2024, at the age of 95 in Riviera, Texas, surrounded by her loved ones. 

Having experienced the Japanese occupation and Korean War, Mrs. Demps’ earlier years were charged with remarkable events. The stories she would share! When her older brother passed away at a young age, she became the eldest of the remaining seven children. She embraced the role of being the eldest. People who knew her well would describe her as having served as the matriarch of the family. 

Mrs. Demps met her future husband, Amos L. Demps, in South Korea, where he was stationed as a US Army soldier. She began her American life in Denver, Colorado but chose to raise her children, Billy and Elaine Demps, in South Korea and relocated back to South Korea in 1967. This move back to South Korea filled Billy’s and Elaine’s lives with rich, bicultural upbringing and they are forever grateful. 

Overtime, her six siblings relocated to Honolulu, Hawaii, and she relished visiting her siblings, nieces, and nephews in Honolulu throughout the years. Her last visit to Honolulu was in March 2022. That visit was especially meaningful to Mrs. Demps as she was aware it would likely be her last. 

Interacting with Mrs. Demps meant you would be told her unfiltered thoughts. She was vocal, honest, and often always on point. Her grandchildren would “put on their thick skin” when they approached her. But, because she was also very caring, you would know she was voicing her thoughts from a place of love. 

She is preceded in death by her husband Amos. They were married for 58 years. Also preceding Mrs. Demps in death were her older brother Yong Su Oh; father Do Sun Oh; mother Ok Ran Kim; brother Song Su Oh; sister Chang Soon Kim; niece Nicole Mi Kyong Kim; nephew Sang Hun Yi; sister Jong Sook Kim; and brother-in-law Chong Kwon Kim and his wife, her sister, Rana Kim. 

She is survived by her loving family: son Billy; daughter Elaine (Rosalio Lopez, Jr.); five grandchildren—William Demps, Katherine Demps, Amos Demps, Matthew Demps Lopez, and Elly Demps Lopez; and three great-grandchildren, Preston, Everett, and Mia Matthews. She is also survived by her beloved family in Honolulu: brothers Myong Su Oh and Hyon Su Oh; brother-in-law Yong Jun Kim; sister-in-law June Oh; and many nieces, nephews, grandnieces, and grandnephews; as well as by her Jacksonville, Florida beloved nieces, nephews, grandnieces, and grandnephews. 

Mrs. Demps was blessed with kind and devoted care by Brittany, Miss Yolanda, Cousin Pat, Maru, Thomas, and Miss Gloria. Brittany, who was a care provider for ten years, was with the family when Mrs. Demps passed away. The family sends heartfelt gratitude for all of their care. The family is also thankful to Dr. Robert Morales for his compassionate care throughout the years.

The family will receive condolences at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, August 23, 2024, at Turcotte-Piper Mortuary; with a chapel service to begin at 11:00 a.m. A rite of committal and interment will follow at 1:00 p.m. at Coastal Bend State Veterans Cemetery, Corpus Christi, TX.