The family of a Springfield man who was recently killed in a plane crash will also bury the ashes of one of the dogs he was transporting.
The family of Seuk Kim, 49, went to Leesburg on Sunday (Dec. 1) to pick up the ashes of a puppy named Lisa, who died alongside Kim when his 1986 Mooney M20J crashed in the Catskill Mountains about 35 miles southwest of Albany, New York, on Nov. 24.
Kim, a volunteer pilot for the animal rescue nonprofit Pilots n Paws, was transporting Lisa and two other dogs from Maryland to the Animal Shelter of Schoharie County in Albany when he crashed. The other two dogs — a Labrador-mix puppy named Whiskey and a Yorkie terrier mix named Pluto — survived, though Whiskey suffered broken bones, the Associated Press reported.
The crash remains under investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board, but a preliminary review indicated that Kim died on impact, according to the AP.
Lisa’s ashes were picked up from the Schoharie County shelter and transported down to Leesburg on a memorial flight led by fellow Pilots n Paws pilot Chris Moon, Forever Changed Animal Rescue (FCAR) Transport Coordinator Penny Edwards told FFXnow.
FCAR, a Maryland-based nonprofit dedicated to finding new homes for rescued dogs in the D.C. area, had worked with Kim for the past two years through Pilots n Paws and Project Freedom Ride, another nonprofit he supported as a pilot that transports rescued dogs from Texas and Georgia.
“Words alone cannot reflect the person that Seuk was. Seuk was a very special person to many, including those that never even had the chance to meet him,” Edwards said by email. “He was always trying to recruit more pilots to the Pilots n Paws mission of saving rescue animals from high-kill shelters and strays off the streets.”
Kim’s involvement with FCAR included a particularly memorable flight this summer, when he volunteered for the final leg of a flight carrying Connie the Container Dog, who was rescued on Jan. 31 after surviving more than a week in a shipping container in Houston, Texas.
According to Edwards, the flight’s first leg was flown by pilot Karan Kapoor, but the pilot who was scheduled to handle the second leg had to back out after encountering mechanical problems. Kim offered to step in despite not usually flying long distances at the time.
Once Connie arrived at FCAR’s base in Gaithersburg, Maryland, the team learned that she was pregnant, and she gave birth to eight puppies in February that have all now been adopted. When Connie later became ill, Kim participated in another transport flight to bring her back to FCAR from her adopted home.
Connie died in June from pythiosis, an infection that she had contracted from drinking contaminated water in Texas, Edwards says.
“Connie was a very special dog that deserved to have a happy life after all she went through. Her life was cut way too short,” Edwards said. “If it wasn’t for Seuk and the 1st leg pilot Karan Kapoor, it’s likely Connie would’ve never even had the life we were able to give her in her short time with us. Connie’s story will always remind us of Seuk and his generosity.”
In addition to his regular rescue flights, Kim served as “the backbone” of a donation drive that FCAR and other rescue groups organized to support communities affected by Hurricane Helene this fall, even purchasing a pickup truck just so he could drive supplies down to North Carolina.
He also recently shared plans for a pet food bank that he hoped to launch with his children. FCAR had intended to support the effort “in any way we could,” Edwards says, describing the news of Kim’s death as “unreal” and shattering for her organization and the rescue community as a whole.
“We hope that this tragic loss will bring more awareness to the rescue world and animals in need because that’s what Seuk would’ve wanted,” she said. “The sky will never be the same without him.”
Kim will get a celebration of life service at 10 a.m. on Thursday (Dec. 5) at Fairfax Memorial Funeral Home and Memorial Park. Condolences, memories and over $144,000 in donations to cover the funeral costs and otherwise help his wife and three kids have continued pouring in.
Kim’s 16-year-old daughter, Leah Kim, told the Associated Press that the family organized the memorial flight for Lisa because they wanted to finish what her father had started. The dog’s ashes will likely be buried in the family’s backyard, where their miniature poodle was also laid to rest.
More from AP reporter Susan Haigh:
Originally from South Korea, Seuk Kim had a childhood dream of becoming a pilot. He began transporting cats and dogs from disaster areas and overcrowded shelters on behalf of rescue organizations after he got his pilot’s license four years ago, his daughter said.
She said he made trips several times a week to pick up animals for several organizations and would often talk about the orphaned dogs and cats he helped to rescue.
“He’s always been a huge fan of animals. They have been one of his passions,” Leah Kim said.
