Atlanta spa shooting victim remembered for being selfless

PEACHTREE CORNERS, Ga. — While a pastor spoke during Yong Ae Yue’s funeral Friday, a sunbeam came through the window behind him and shone upon Yue’s two sons, a sure sign their mother was watching, one of them said.

As his mother’s body lay before him in a casket draped with pink flowers, Elliott Peterson pointed to a large photo of her on display and asked the friends and family gathered in a funeral home in Peachtree Corners to remember her like that — a big grin on her face and two fingers on each hand extended in a V sign.

Yue was one of eight people fatally shot March 16 in attacks on spa businesses in Atlanta and nearby Cherokee County.

The others are also being grieved by friends, family and their communities.

Suncha Kim, 69, volunteered for charities. Soon Chung Park, a former dancer, remained youthful and fit at 74. Xiaojie “Emily” Tan, 49, was an entrepreneur who owned Young’s Asian Massage and other businesses. Daoyou Feng, 44, was one of her employees. Delaina Yaun, 33, was a new mother. Paul Michels, 54, installed security systems. Hyun Jung Grant, 51, loved music and worked at Gold Spa to support two sons.

Yue, 63, was born in South Korea and immigrated to the U.S. in 1979 with her then-husband, Mac Peterson. He was in the Army and they moved to the Columbus area, near Fort Benning.

Their older son, Elliott, was born in South Korea, while their younger son, Robert, was born after they moved to Georgia, said attorney B.J. Pak, who is representing Yue’s sons.

The couple divorced some time after their second son’s birth and Yue made the tough decision for her boys to live with their father, believing that would give them a better chance to succeed. But she remained a loving presence in their lives, Pak said.

Elliott Peterson said his mother was selfless and would be happy about the outpouring of support her sons have received.

Yue held a variety of jobs over the years and had only started working at Aromatherapy Spa in Atlanta in October, Pak said. She told her sons her job was to cook, clean and watch security cameras.

A slideshow of photos of Yue dancing and posing with her sons and grandchildren played during the funeral and mourners listened to two Korean songs, a nod to her love of music. Letters of condolence from several elected officials — including Georgia U.S. Sens. Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock and Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms — were read aloud.

Robert Aaron Long, 21, is charged with eight counts of murder and one count of aggravated assault.