Birth date: Jan 30, 1938 Death date: Aug 16, 2019
Kang H. Rhee, 81, died Friday, August 16, 2019 at the Christian Care Center in Memphis following a long illness.He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Gee-un (Bucha) Rhee; his son, Yong Rhee (Kyung Jin Rhee); two grandchildren; J Read Obituary
May the souls of the departed rest in peace.
Yonsei University Taekwondo Instructor, Kim, Young Sun
I join his organization back in 1989 when you can see him advertising his organization back in Blackbelt Magazine. I join & was an amazing journey- Got to catch up here & there through out the years- Always striving to set the bar in training. He will be missed --- Jason K
Our stay in Cordova was so wonderful due to the association with Master Kang Rhee. My daughter and I had enjoyed every class with him. He is such a great soul, inspired and taught us both Pasaryu and personality worth a life time. Master Kang Rhee ! you will live in our memories forever.
Bala Karri and Shri Karri
I was lucky enough to be a student of Master Kang Rhee for three wonderful years at his Cordova studio. He explained to me the benefits of yoga tai-chi, and I became a religious 3-4 time per week attendee for nearly three years. His practice helped me achieve relief from both my emotional and physical ailments. I turned from a sedentary college student into an athletic and graceful young lady through the yoga tai-chi practice. He was the most upstanding gentleman, mentor, teacher, and guru to me, and his teachings and guidance changed my life for the better. Master Rhee was a disciplined but kind-hearted man. He valued knowing that he taught his students something that they could carry with them for the rest of their lives, even if it was just from the beauty of a free first yoga tai-chi class, which he offered to anyone who wanted to try it. Master Rhee, I will always remember you, your guidance, your patience, your generosity of spirit, and your genius, because that is what you truly were and will always be remembered as. Your classes will remain some of the happiest and most comforting memories of my life. You touched so many hearts and lives, and I know you are in a better place. May you rest in peace Master Rhee.
I remember Master Rhee. He was my instructor for his Tai Chi/ yoga class. It kept me afloat during some hard times. I wanted to look him up for more somewhere. I knew that he moved his studio to Somerville, TN, a bit too far to drive. I really miss his classes. He was a great guy. I wonder if someone carried them on in his memory. It's really sad to hear about this. I was thinking of him really strong. May all his loved ones and friends be comforted from this great loss. Fly on Master Rhee!
I was a student of Master Kang Rhee for a couple of years in the mid-70’s while attending Memphis State University. I attended classes at the Brooks Rd location.
Prior to signing up with Master Rhee, I was stationed in Osan, Korea(Osan AFB - 1971) and contemplating signing up for Tang Soo Do under GM C.S. Kim, and would only be there for a few weeks. Being from Memphis and remembering Master Rhee’s demonstration at Memphis State University(1968), I wrote to him asking for advice. Master Rhee replied immediately and advised me proceed, to be open-minded, and to consider Martial Arts as a life-long journey.
I appreciate his advice and having met him and studied with him.
May he Rest In Peace.
- Marcus A. Noel
Rest In Peace Grandmaster Rhee!!!
To family of Master Rhee: I met your father in Atlanta while he was traveling with Elvis in 1973. We started a great friendship. He invited me to Memphis where we spent some time together. He was a genuine kind human being and sought to bring comfort to not only Elvis but me also, and I know many others. One time when Elvis went to hospital for some much needed R & R also doc working on “bringing him down from his drug addiction”, Master Rhee told me that he wanted to go see Elvis but Red West wouldn’t allow him to visit. I said, I wish we could whisk him away so that we could get him into AA and get him away from a few harmful relationships. Naturally, that wasn’t possible, but it hurt him very badly that Red intercepted Elvis’ call. The last time I saw Master Rhee, I took a copy of the poem I had written for Elvis “I WAS THE ONE” and he thanked me and said he would frame it and put it in his office. He was present in the room when Elvis read my poem out loud and your father signed a LOA for the autograph Elvis gave me .Anyway, I appreciated his wisdom, beliefs, that he practiced and lived everyday. He was the embodiment of a man who appeared to live a giving life to help others to gain confidence in themselves. He will be sadly missed. Rest easy, my friend.” Sun”….
My heart sank today when I learned that you passed away Master Rhee…
It was back in the late 1990’s when I first met you at your studio and it was there where you sat down with me and talked about PaSaRyu and what it can do for a person. I quickly signed up for being a Lifetime Member because I was immediately drawn to these words of wisdom and loved what it meant, and those words were “Sun Makes Evil Shadows Disappear”…….
I was looking for more than just self defense back then. I was hungering for Spiritual Enlightenment as well and when I saw this I knew this was what I was looking for. Personal and career obligations kept me away from practicing PaSaRyu throughout the years but the one thing I remembered and continued to practice was shining the Light on evil.
I still have my Lifetime Member Certificate, its something I always treasured.
But what I cherish the most is being fortunate enough to meet you, talk with you and train with you.
I will cherish your memory for as long as I live and be forever grateful for the positive energy that you bestowed on me. Its made me a better person in a lot of ways and for that I thank you sir!
You done very well in Life and I’m sure God is well pleased with you.
My condolences and prayers to your family during this time…
My heart is with you…
Rest in peace Mr. Kang Rhee…Sincerely With Love,
Alan ” Cougar” Steeg
My thoughts and prayers are with the family of Kang Rhee, No to long ago I had gotten a autographed photo of Elvis Presley and Kang. That is so much more special now with his passing. May God surround his family with love and compassion. He will be missed.
