Flagstaff gathers to remember couple who died lost at sea in Mexico
FLAGSTAFF — As people filled the assembly hall at Northern Arizona University on Saturday afternoon, photos and videos of Yeon-Su Kim and Corey Allen and the life they shared together were broadcast on the screen at the front of the room.
The scenes showed the couple celebrating birthdays, holidays, family vacations with their two kids and the seemingly mundane moments in between — memories that at one point might have seemed inconsequential but have since elevated to a newfound importance.
Kim and Allen died after being lost at sea while kayaking off Puerto Peñasco, Mexico, on Thanksgiving. They had two surviving teenage children.
Speaking to an overflowing room with countless others who joined the memorial online, the couple's family, friends and colleagues took turns remembering the special people Kim and Allen were and the impact they have had on the world around them.
Andrew Sánchez Meador, a colleague and friend of Kim's, opened the ceremony with a moment of silence.
"Over the past decade I have had the distinct honor of being the recipient of Yeon-Su's presence and positivity. I've also had the honor of being the recipient of Corey's heartfelt hugs and kitchen counter counseling sessions," Sánchez Meador said.
"They were both wonderfully unique people but when you combine the two it created a multiplicative effect, it created a force that was impossible to resist. The world was just better when you were around them," he said.
Kim's brother and sister, who traveled from South Korea for the memorial, spoke lovingly of their sister who was brave enough to leave home and continue her education in the United States when she was young. After graduation, Kim moved to Flagstaff to work at NAU in 1998 and soon met Allen. With thousands of miles separating Kim from the rest of her family, her brother Se Yong Kim remembers the comfort it gave them knowing that she had Allen by her side.
"Corey was always there whenever Yeon-Su needed help and support," Se Yong said. "It was their fate to meet and get married and live together forever. Now it is time for us to let them leave from us in this world."
Kim's sister Jiny Kim talked about plans she had made to come visit her sister in Arizona just next month. While they might not have spent a lot of time together growing up, Jiny said, they were looking forward to bonding more now that they were older and settled.
"We lost the opportunity to enjoy our life all of a sudden and it's not fair," she said.
The loss is so painful they still have not been able to break the news of their sister's death to their mother, Se Yong said.
Cathy Small, a professor at NAU and family friend, remembered her hesitation when Kim first told her she had met someone online.
"It turned out to be Corey, the love of her life, the father to their two sensitive, smart, talented, thoughtful children Pax and Lux," Small said. "And he remained a devoted soulmate and a truly creative force in their lives."
The couple was deeply involved in projects and organizations in the city, including at NAU, Pine Forest Charter School, Flagstaff Insight Meditation Community and Allen's photography studio Hidden Light.
Kim, the director of forestry at NAU, was also a prominent leader in her industry across the U.S. and internationally, leading the way in research surrounding sustainable community forestry the economy of recreation.
More than anything, Kim's colleagues said that her true passion was working to make the industry more diverse and inclusive for the next generation of forestry professionals.
At the time of her death, Kim was working on a complex federal grant application to help advance the next generation of forestry professionals coming from underrepresented groups, her colleague Jim Allen said.
In her memory, he said, the department intends to pick up where she left off and submit the application to carry on her mission.
Contact northern Arizona reporter Lacey Latch at llatch@gannett.com or on social media @laceylatch. Coverage of northern Arizona on azcentral.com and in The Arizona Republic is funded by the nonprofit Report for America and a grant from the Vitalyst Health Foundation in association with The Arizona Republic.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Flagstaff remembers Yeon-Su Kim and Corey Allen, couple lost at sea
