Dr. Min Namkung

Please click here to view the live stream of the funeral service.  The live stream of the funeral service for Dr. Min Namkung will begin at 1:00pm on Sunday August 8th.

On July 30th, 2021, Dr. Min Namkung, husband and father of two children, passed away at age 71. He was born on February 6, 1950 in Cheongju, Korea to Hyung Namkung and Nam-Chul Kim. He married Juock Shin Namkung in 1976 and raised two sons, Kenneth and Brian.

He moved to the United States in 1976 to pursue graduate studies in science, eventually attaining a doctorate in Physics from the College of William & Mary, and graduate degree in Material Science from the University of Virginia. Min spent his professional life as a researcher within various divisions of NASA, where he worked in the fields of: solid state physics, aerospace, nanotechnology, and space science with additional involvement in the STS program (also known as the Space Shuttle). He was honored many times for his contributions to the sciences and held over twenty patents. In recognition of his significant professional accomplishments, he received the Exceptional Engineering Achievement medal from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The medal was awarded for his pioneering work advancing nondestructive evaluation techniques for aerospace and commercial applications.

Outside of his professional life, Min had a playful and humorous personality. He was supremely accomplished in the art of the goofy facial expression and had an endless repertoire of painfully cheesy jokes. Min was uniquely passionate about food, with a particular fondness for barbecue (both Korean and American), and was a connoisseur of Kentucky Bourbon.

He is preceded in death by his father, Hyung Namkung, his birth mother, Nam-Chul Kim, and his stepmother, Wolsun Kim. He is survived by his wife, Juock Namkung, and his sons, Kenneth Namkung and Brian Namkung.

Family and friends are invited to join us in memorial service on Sunday, August 8th at 1 PM at Beall Funeral Home, 6512 NW Crain Hwy (Rt. 3 South), Bowie, MD 20715. He will be laid to rest at the Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Silver Spring next to his mother.