In Memory of Hooi Poh Kureishi(1966 - 2017)

On Wednesday, March 22, 2017, our dear and beloved Mrs. Hooi Poh Kureishi ascended to the spiritual world. She was surrounded by her family when she made the transition early that morning. Her husband Hirofumi and their children Sanai (17), Shogen (16), and Namai (12), are so thankful for all the love and support that everyone has given Hooi Poh during her illness.

Hooi Poh Kureishi (nee Koay) was born November 6, 1966, to a large family of two girls and three boys of Buddhist background on the Penang Island, Malaysia. She was working as an accountant when she joined the Unification Church in early 1990s as a part-time member. She soon became a full-time member and began working at Penang Island church headquarter, cooking, book keeping, and taking care of leaders. She was Blessed in marriage in 1992 with Hirofumi Kureishi as part of the 30,000 Couples Blessing in Seoul, South Korea. 

She arrived in the United States in 1997, and joined the CARP center at the University of Maryland (UMD), College Park, where she began witnessing, cooking, and taking care of members. She joined the 1997 National Pure Love Alliance 26-city tour and became an invaluable member of the advance preparation and cooking team. For Maryland CARP, she did bookkeeping work and was a lead member of the hospitality and cooking team.

In 2000, she became part of a Japanese missionaries’ team under Rev. Chong Shik Yong as they went on outreach activities around the Maryland and Washington, DC area. During the following years, she helped taking care of the second generation STF members when they stayed at the Maryland CARP center. Her love and care helped many young adults during that time. As she and Hirofumi were raising their own children, she also babysat and cared for several children of other families. She was a master of multi-tasking, and became a pillar of stability during the years of many activities of CARP at UMD.

In 2010, she began working in the cafeteria of the Prince George’s County public school nearby, serving, and cooking. During the last two years before she became ill, she also worked as cashier. Her hard work ethics and unwavering love for everyone she met gained her the highest respect among her co-workers, and she was in line for a promotion to a managerial position. Being a public-minded person was an integral part of her personality.

In early August of 2016, Hooi Poh was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer. The cancer was very aggressive and spread quickly. Even though two surgeries were successful, the cancer spread again to her liver and stomach. She became too weak to receive additional chemotherapy and then determined to get natural treatments. She never gave up hope to recover from her illness. Even during weeks of severe pain, she always projected hopefulness and love for her family as well as her friends. Nevertheless, despite all her efforts, on the early morning of Wednesday, March 22, our dear and beloved Hooi Poh Kureishi ascended to the spiritual world.  

Seonghwa Ceremony

The Seonghwa Service will take place on Friday, March 31, at 11 a.m. at the New Hope Family Church, located at 4801 Tesla Dr, Suite M, Bowie, MD 20715.

The Weonjon Service will also take place on Friday, March 31, at 2 p.m. at the Fort Lincoln Cemetery: 3401 Bladensburg Road, Brentwood, MD 20722.

Condolences and Donations In Memory of Hooi Poh

The family’s mailing address is: 1530 Kanawha Street, Apt. 112, Hyattsville, MD 20783

Online donations are also possible through the GoFundMe page at:

https://www.gofundme.com/hooi-poh-kureishi-medical-bills