Chang Sun "Charlie" Park passed away on Saturday, December 6, 2025, after a sudden and difficult battle with Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease. He was 60 years old.

He is survived by his wife, Young Mi Park; his daughters, Ji (Cathy) An and SoHee Park; and his two older siblings.

Born on April 1, 1966, in Seoul, Korea, he often insisted to his daughters that he was a Scorpio. Because his birthday fell on April Fools' Day, they almost believed him. He was raised in Seoul with his parents, two brothers, and one sister.

Friends and former classmates remember his agile thinking and light-hearted humor. Even as a child, he showed early signs of the bold and entrepreneurial spirit he carried throughout his life. He famously rented raunchy magazines to classmates. They affectionately called him "the original rental service" and believed he was ahead of his time.

After the passing of his first wife, Mi Kyung Yang, with whom he had one daughter, he moved to Maryland in the United States, where his older sister had established roots. He later remarried Young Mi Park and blended their families with care, raising them in America to provide better opportunities.

Chang Sun is remembered for his deep love of music and his eclectic knowledge of it, ranging from John Denver's "Take Me Home, Country Roads" to PSY's "Gangnam Style." He was a self-taught guitarist and passed his love of music to his daughters, who developed their own musical tastes after years of listening to his cassettes from Korea and his constant flipping through radio stations. He was instantly recognizable by his loud, hiccupy laugh, his playful pranks, and the way he would burst into song or quietly hum while doing something else.

He proudly called himself a self-made handyman. He left behind four broken weed-whackers, each a symbol of his determination to fix things on his own. He was a part-time electrician, part-time plumber, part-time gardener, and full-time know-it-all.

You always knew when it was him speaking because of his blunt tone of voice and his urgency to get things done quickly. His lack of grace, his rushed but heartfelt attempts to make conversation, and his unwavering devotion to Korean food, especially noodles over rice, were constants.

He passed many things on to his daughters: his energy to passionately debate anything, his love of music, his unique humor, and his colorful language, which they continue to embrace wholeheartedly.

In recent years, he dreamed of retirement: golfing in Hawaii, traveling with his wife, and finally seeing the Grand Canyon. He lived a life full of sacrifice, responsibility, a deep affection for learning, and constant concern for his children.

He leaves behind many lessons, including his belief that attending someone's funeral is just as important as attending their birthday. Above all, he would want us not to worry and to keep laughing.

We will smoke a Marlboro Gold in his honor. It is exactly what he would have wanted.

Online condolences may be made to the family at www.peacefulalternatives.com