••• Byong Choi 1932-2021 After a three– week battle in the ICU, Byong Choi, 83, died of a bone marrow infection on Feb. 24. He was wellknown to the Leisure World community as an active member of several clubs and organizations including the Filipino Association, the Holy Family Church choir, the Men’s Golf Club, Line Dance Club and Karaoke Club. He was an avid golfer, singer, writer and an allaround big personality. Born in Busan, Korea, he worked in the Ministry of Finance in Seoul before moving to Ohio with his family. After completing his second degree at Central State University, he relocated to Indianapolis. There, he started a successful restaurant and became a fixture at local golf tournaments, Holy Spirit Church and the Warren Township Lion’s Club, where he was elected president. In 1996, he and his wife moved to Scottsdale, Arizona, where they owned a Baskin–Robbins and were active members of the Korean community. After retiring, they moved to Southern California and discovered the wonderful Leisure World Community. He leaves behind his wife, Yong; four daughters: June, Jeiwon, Sue and Claudia; and three grandchildren: Maddy, Isabelle and Henry. There will be a funeral mass on March 19 at 10 a.m., at Holy Family Church. A reception will be held afterward to share stories and memories of him. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Korean American Scholarship Foundation in his name. His memorial page can be viewed at www. coherentbody.com/Byongchoi. •••

Galia Ann Ell 1937-2021 Galia Ann Ell was born of Russian ancestry in Kobe, Japan, on Sept. 5, 1937, to Olga and Anatoli Bendersky. She lived her early childhood years in Tientsin, China, with her family until the Japanese invasion. Her father, who was the distributor for Warner Bros. films for all of Asia, was wrongfully executed when she was around 9 years old. She and her mother fled to America with the help of her second father, Irving Layton, and they settled in Hollywood.