Obituary of Jisung Oh

Jisung “Jay” Oh, a loving husband and father and the former owner of “The Hungry Traveler” restaurant in Boston, passed away on Saturday, October 21, 2023 at the age of 63. Jay was born and raised in Seoul, South Korea. He graduated from high school and attended college, getting his Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, and worked for AMEX in Korea. Jay was offered a position at the Korean Consulate in New York, and immigrated to the US for a shot at the American dream with his wife, Soonok, and two children, Kevin and Jenny.

Jay and Soonok raised their family in Lexington, MA and stayed close to their extended family in New York after arriving to the US.  Every year Jay would look forwarding to bringing his family to visit his cousins at their annual get together for Thanksgiving, and made time to get together again every summer. One of the most memorable family vacations, everyone met in Atlantic City for Jay’s 60th birthday where Jay demonstrated his luck by winning blackjack even while hitting on 14 with the dealer showing 16. He also always had a lucky string of winning scratch tickets, too. 

One of their most defining adventures, Jay and Soonok owned a restaurant in downtown Boston called The Hungry Traveler serving Korean Tacos and Bibimbap, and they were wildly popular for their turkey avocado BLT’s. The Improper Bostonian named The Hungry Traveler one of their “Best Secret Spots in Boston” awards in 2016. More recently, Jay had been working as a cook at the Lexington Christian Academy where he really enjoyed being a part of the community and his co-workers.

Jay was a passionate sports fan. To put things in perspective, Jay’s neighbors would know when his favorite team, Tottenham Hotspurs, scored, especially if it was scored by his favorite player, Son Heung-min. Jay also became a passionate fan of Boston’s sports teams, adopting the Patriots and Red Sox as his teams. It was a pastime that he enjoyed taking part in with his kids, passing on the love of the game to Kevin and Jenny. In his leisure, Jay loved to play golf. He played well and had an 8 handicap. He had won the family a TV playing in a golf tournament, too. He’d play both local courses and travel around to some of the nicer courses in the area. Golf wasn’t Jay’s only hobby though. He also enjoyed Scuba diving, skiing, nature and playing video games, especially Ace Combat. Jay liked to stay up to date on current events watching the local news to be able to have a discussion about any and all topics. 

Jay always knew how to have a good time. He enjoyed hosting friends and spending time with his kids and their friends. He’d cook for his guests and was known for his sushi. Jay was always quite the performer. He loved to be on stage singing karaoke while out with friends. Once while Jay and Kevin were in London, Jay had disappeared to where Kevin thought might have been the bathroom, but when Jay didn’t return, Kevin went to the other side of the bar to look for him. When Kevin found him, Jay was singing “God Save the Queen” for some locals that he had just met. His normal song selection ranged from big hair bands of the 80s, Queen, The Eagles, and Creedence Clearwater Revival to Eminem more recently. He even dabbled with the piano, occasionally playing Fur Elise on a whim. 

Jay was the beloved husband of Soonok Jeon. He was the loving father of Kevin Oh and his wife Jasmine Kim and Jenny Oh and her fiancé Brennan Stitt, who are all located in the tri-state area. He was the proud grandfather of Valencia Oh. Jay was the dear cousin of Mark Oh, James Oh, and the late Tommy Oh and cherished their families. He was also the proud dog-dad to Happy and the late Maximus.

A visitation will be held on Wednesday, October 25, from 3:30 to 5 PM at the Edward V. Sullivan Funeral Home, 43 Winn Street, Burlington, MA 01803. A funeral service for Jay will begin at 5 PM at the Sullivan Funeral Home. Family and friends are invited to attend. Burial will be private. 

For online guestbook, tribute video, and service information, please visit www.sullivanfuneralhome.net