Kumsan Ryu Song

Kumsan Ryu Song, MD, died at the age of 95 on April 24, 2025 in Morrisville, Vermont. She was a mother, grandmother, physician, business owner, and community activist in Des Moines, Iowa, where she lived for 56 years. She loved being an Iowan and was  proud to be from Des Moines. She and her husband, Joseph Song, believed Des Moines was the very best place to live.

Kumsan treasured her family, most especially her grandchildren who came to their home in Des Moines many times. They fondly recall her warmth, generosity, beautiful home, and fabulous Korean cooking. All of her immigrating relatives landed first in Des Moines beginning in the 1960’s. 

Kumsan is survived by her two children: Pat and Jeff; children in law: Chris Hancock, Christina Allain, and Mary Kiely; siblings WonSup Ryu, HyangSan Ryu, and HaeRan Um; sibling in laws: Hansook Ryu, YoungJa Ryu, and KiWan Um; grandchildren: Julia Hancock-Song, Ben Hancock-Song, Jacob Kiely-Song, Milo Kiely-Song, Rosa Song, and Ruby Song; nieces and nephews: Jenn Ryu, Mike Ryu, Robert Ryu, Julie Ryu, Patrick Um, John Um, ChongHan Lee, ChongHo Lee, YoungIm Yoo, and YoungKyu  Yoo. She was predeceased by her husband Joseph Song, son Michael J. Song, sister EunSan Lee, and brother HyungSup Ryu. 

Kumsan Ryu Song was born in Kanggye, North Korea on March 2, 1930 and was the oldest of 8 children. The name Kumsan means golden mountain and at the time was an unusually strong name for a female child. Her father, SangHa Ryu, was an architect and he instilled in her the values of education, independence, and learning how to do things herself. She embodied these values as an independent, determined woman who did many things herself. Once she watched people install bathroom tile and then borrowed their equipment to later do her own tile work.  

During the Korean War Kumsan took care of her younger siblings after their father was executed by North Korean soldiers in Seoul. In 1952 she graduated from Seoul Women’s Medical College specializing in internal medicine. In October 1953 Kumsan arrived in the US, via a 3 week journey on a cargo ship, for an internship at Harris Methodist Hospital in Fort Worth, TX. She completed her residency at the University of Illinois in Chicago. In April 1958 she married Joseph Song, MD. After the birth of 3 children and living in Providence and Little Rock, they moved to Des Moines in 1965 where she pursued a career in hematology in the Pathology Department of Mercy Hospital. Kumsan later worked as a clinical instructor at the Des Moines University Osteopathic Medical College. 

Though she eventually stopped practicing medicine to raise her three children, Kumsan  was very active in the community of Des Moines. The organizations and projects are too  numerous to list but a partial list includes: Polk County Medical Society, Women’s  Medical Auxiliary, Iowa Council for International Understanding, Asian Alliance of Iowa Foundation, Chinese Commission for Religion and Race of the Iowa United Methodist  Conference, Iowa-Yaminashi Sister State, Festival of Iowa Folklife, and the Robert D. Ray Asian Garden.

At a time when only a few Korean families lived in Des Moines, Kumsan co-founded the  Korean Methodist Church in 1975. In 1978 she co-founded the Asian American Council of Iowa to help refugees from southeast Asia. In 1979 she co-founded the Korean Society of Iowa. Kumsan also conducted many cultural diversity presentations and spent countless hours assisting immigrant families settling in Des Moines. 

Always an artist and art lover, Kumsan studied art therapy at Drake University and became a Certified Art Therapist in 1983. She also purchased and ran Jung’s Oriental  Foods during this time and in 1995 she enabled an immigrant to purchase the business  at a time they couldn’t obtain a loan. The community of Des Moines knew and loved Kumsan who worked tirelessly to assist people and promote cultural relations. She had working relationships with 3 Iowa governors. Even the Des Moines Police knew of her and would call her first when an Asian person needed assistance. 

A memorial service will be held on June 7th, 2025 at the Whittemore Robbins House in Arlington, Massachusetts at 2:00 pm. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made at World Central Kitchen (wck.org) because Kumsan loved to feed people. 

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