Gemma Y. Cho left this life on October 29, 2024, surrounded by her immediate family. She is survived by her loving husband of 61 years, Peter H. Cho; daughter and son-in-law, Helen (Paul) Fiscella; son and daughter-in-law, Tom (Rebecca) Cho; granddaughters, Caroline Cho, Katie Cho (Charlie Kwon) and Alana Fiscella; and a large loving extended family.
Her life was marked by challenges. Gemma was born in occupied Korea and lived through World War 2 and the Korean war as a young child. She suffered the loss of her mother at 6 years old, at 12 years old, she fled from the North Korean invasion with one of her younger sisters on her back. Hard times brought out the best in her. As a young lady, she pursued becoming a Catholic Nun before meeting Peter, then decided to marry and raise a family while leading them into the Catholic faith. She immigrated with her family in 1972 to Newport News, Virginia, where they created a wonderful life together and worked several jobs and businesses before succeeding with Cho’s Cleaners. Their retirement offered them a well-deserved respite from the rigors of business ownership with extensive travel both within the US and abroad, which they thoroughly enjoyed.
For 85 wonderful years, she was the embodiment of Unconditional Love, Kindness, Forgiveness, Positivity, and Self Sacrifice. She taught her children about unconditional love, so that they could share it with their family. She always had kind words and encouragement for everyone she met, giving smiles and hugs with divine generosity. She showed Perseverance in the face of every adversity and Forgiveness to those who showed malice. She prevailed over all her trials with true Faith and Positivity. Lastly, she sacrificed herself through all these virtues and deeds, for her family, for which we are eternally grateful. Gemma leaves behind a legacy of the best of humanity for family and friends to share with each other.
In her modesty, she requested a private service with immediate family, which we intend to honor. A Celebration Of Life for extended family and friends will be organized for a later date.
