Gail Cooper Chu's Obituary
Gail Cooper Chu, age 83, of Concord, NC, died in an auto accident on Sunday, May 19, 2019.
Gail lived a rich life. She was born on January 12, 1936 in Pompton Lakes, NJ, the only child of C. Erwin and Marian (Tice) Cooper. While completing a nursing degree at the Methodist Hospital School of Nursing in New York, NY, she met her future husband, David Chu, who was doing his medical internship at the same hospital. They were married in Pompton Plains, NJ on October 4, 1958; 50 years later David would write, “If ever there was a marriage made in heaven, this was it.” By 1967 they were in Jeonju, South Korea as medical missionaries employed by the Presbyterian Church in the United States, and there they would be for most of the next 21 years. Returning to the United States in 1988, they settled in Chapel Hill, NC, where Gail worked as a nurse in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine until 1995; then in 2003 they moved to Concord, where they lived for the rest their days, grandchildren swirling around them.
Gail was preceded in death by her parents and her husband; she is survived by her five children, Philip (Jeannie) Chu, Luisa (David) Beard, Lydia Butcher, Peter (Catharine) Chu, and P. David (Pey-Shyuan) Chu, and by 18 grandchildren and four great grandchildren.
Gail’s Memorial Service will be held at 4:00 PM on Sunday, May 26, 2019 at Providence Presbyterian Church with the Reverend Mark Weathers officiating. Immediately after the service the family will receive friends in the Fellowship Hall, inviting all to stay and share stories of Gail with them and each other.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Missionary Outreach Program at Jesus Hospital in Jeonju. Checks can be made payable to Providence Presbyterian Church, 246 Branchview NE, Concord, NC 28025 with “In memory of Gail Chu” in the memo line.
James Funeral Home is serving the family and condolences may be sent to them through our website at www.jamesfuneralhomelkn.com.
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