Sung-in Choe
Sung-in died peacefully at 92, leaving behind a legacy of courage, joy, and warmth that touched lives across three continents.
Born in Seoul in 1932 during the Japanese occupation, Sung-in was the eldest daughter of five children and a brilliant student who loved languages and literature. She devoured books in Japanese—Hermann Hesse’s Steppenwolf became a lifelong favorite—and as a schoolgirl, she haunted movie theaters, captivated by films like David Lean’s Brief Encounter.
In 1953, Sung-in made a bold move that would shape her life: she left Korea for Honolulu, where she studied at the University of Hawaii while working as an au pair. There she met Bill Horton, whom she married in 1955. They moved to the Pacific Northwest before settling in Santa Barbara in 1961, where their daughter Tara was born three years later. Though they divorced in 1970, they remained friends until his death in 2020.
After her divorce, Sung-in earned her BA in Art History from UC Santa Barbara and worked as a library assistant at the university, where she built lasting friendships with colleagues and faculty. In 1974, she made another characteristic leap: she left her secure job to earn her Master of Library Science from Texas Woman’s University in Denton, Texas.
Back in Santa Barbara, she worked as a librarian at Santa Barbara City College before landing her dream position at UCSB Library’s East Asian Collection. For more than 20 years, she specialized in cataloging Japanese books, her fluency in Korean, Japanese, and English making her invaluable to scholars and students.
A devoted Europhile who traveled to Paris, Milan, and London, Sung-in brought the world to her Mesa neighborhood home through legendary Korean feasts. Her mandu and japchae dinners from the early 1970s through the 1990s drew an eclectic mix of European ex-pats and friends who shared her love of good food, wine, and conversation. Those gatherings were filled with her distinctive, joyful laughter.
Music filled Sung-in’s home: Schubert lieder, Beethoven symphonies, Italian opera—especially Madame Butterfly and La Bohème. She adored Luciano Pavarotti, attended concerts and masterclasses at the Music Academy of the West, and sang soprano with the Santa Barbara Oratorio Chorale for many seasons.
In 1990, she married Carl Harris, a UCSB History professor. They shared a deep love of music, literature, and the arts, and Carl encouraged her interest in politics. Though this marriage also ended in divorce, it was an important chapter in her life.
Sung-in had wonderful style, always elegant in tailored clothes in classic navy, black, or jewel tones. She loved bold colors too—her dining room was painted a daring deep red. Friends often remarked on her radiant energy and grace.
After her granddaughter was born, Sung-in put family first again. In 2006, she left Santa Barbara for Oakland to help with childcare so her daughter could advance her career. Though she missed the beauty and serenity of Santa Barbara, she believed that places matter because of the people in them.
In Oakland, she found new passions in ballroom dancing and Brazilian dance classes at the Berkeley YMCA, inspiring everyone around her with her energy and grace. Friends remembered her fierce independence—she was someone who made things happen, never content to wait for life to come to her.
In her final years, Sung-in could be found on the front porch of her Craftsman home, waving and smiling at neighbors—still radiating the warmth and curiosity that had defined her remarkable life.
Sung-in was preceded in death by her parents, three siblings, and two former spouses. She leaves behind her beloved daughter, Tara Choe Horton (Derek McCulloch); her cherished granddaughter, Pearl McCulloch; a sister; extended family; and countless friends whose lives she touched with her boundless zest for living.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a donation to the UCSB Library or another meaningful cause.
A private memorial service for family and close friends will be held in Berkeley, CA in January 2026.
