It was the year of the "Chicken" (actually Rooster) and somewhere in South Korea, Sung Im (Kim) Jones (who later in life was lovingly called "Pauline" by her in-laws) emerged onto this earth in April of 1945 (or in March of 1947, which was the year of the pig). Like that first sentence, Sung's life is difficult to diagram due to it being full of interesting and confusing events. In 1967, Sung (aka Pauline) married a drafted U.S. army man named Bob Jones (born in the year of the monkey). She moved to America where the newlyweds created two children: Cindy (another monkey) and Thomas (Ox). Sung was a full-time mother until 1979 when she started to work at Servus Rubber (now Honeywell) in Rock Island, IL where she retired after 30 years of service. To this day, it is still unclear which job she found more stressful, factory work or motherhood. In both careers Sung was dedicated, was loyal, and always gave her best.

In August 2019, when Sung was first diagnosed with Stage 4 bone and lung cancer, she asked God for ten more Christmases and ten more birthdays. It was a good thing she added the caveat of ten more Christmases since we celebrated two birthdays a year for her. Because she seemed to have a flock of Guardian Angels at her side at all times and her stubbornness dominated all those around her, against the odds, her body was able to fight that cancer for almost four years until she passed away on June 7, 2023. It is hard to believe she did not make the ten years because of her determined ways. An example of her strong will was when she promised her daughter that she would quit smoking when she got married. True to her promise, Sung stopped smoking cold turkey in 1998 when TR Oneal (yet another monkey) united with Cindy. Many will boast about how lucky Sung was in life. Her VIP status at Jumer's (now Bally's) attests to it. Her secret? She was a believer both in God AND in superstition (e.g. the head of your bed should never face towards the setting of the sun, that your Chinese Zodiac animal represented who you are in life, scissors hung above your main doorway will help you sell your house, and never bring items made of wood into a house after dark unless you've first seasoned the threshold with salt to ward off bad luck).

Even though Sung did not complete a formal education, she earned a PhD in eggroll making, playing penny slots, and impacting the lives of others. Sung was also known for her green thumb. Her plants and gardens were always ginormous.

In 2005, Sung finally gained another chicken/rooster into the family, when her first grand daughter, Jocelyn, was born. Sung is pre-deceased by her father (Chong Dal Kim), mother ((Jae Im Im), brother (Kwang Tae Kim), brother-in-law (Chuck Fulton), nephew (Daniel Fulton), daughter-in-law (Christine Jones), and nephew (Andy Kim). Left with colorful memories are Sung's husband (Bob), daughter (Cindy with husband, TR, and daughter, Jocelyn), her son (Tom), her "Pauline" fans (the plethora of in-laws on the Jones family tree), her brothers: Tuk Tae Kim, Sam Tae Kim, Myung Guk Kim, her sisters: Sung Boon Fulton (daughter Susan McGivern with husband Ryan and children: Olivia, Liam, and Isla) and Myung Suk Lee, and numerous other nieces and nephews. Her immediate family is ever grateful to Aunt Connie and Uncle John Jones for assisting us during times when we needed it most. Special thanks to her niece, Susie, for keeping Sung connected with her Kim family. The heavens have gained an eccentric, strong, and hard-working woman and she will be missed here on earth.

Sung specifically requested to have many flowers at her funeral, probably to attract butterflies; she so loved butterflies. To help honor her wish, please consider sending flowers.

Visitation will be from 5-7:00 PM on Tuesday, June 13, 2023 at Wheelan-Pressly Funeral Home and Crematory, Milan. The funeral service will be at 10:00 AM on Wednesday, June 14, 2023 at the funeral home. Burial at Roselawn Cemetery, Moline.

To sign the online guestbook or order flowers, visit www.wheelanpressly.com.