Chung Soon Hwang, 89, of Cherry Hill, longtime co-owner of Chung’s Coffee Shop in Philadelphia, church deaconess, student benefactor, family matriarch, and devoted gardener, died Wednesday, Sept. 24, of complications from organ failure at Cooper University Hospital in Camden.

Mrs. Hwang and her husband, Oe Tok, arrived in South Jersey from South Korea in 1973. They opened Chung’s Coffee Shop on Germantown Avenue near Lehigh Avenue in Philadelphia a few years later, and she spent the next 30 years welcoming thousands of breakfast and lunchtime customers and supervising the busy U-shaped front counter.

Lively and optimistic, friendly and tireless, she oversaw the service staff, handled the customer money flow, and teamed with her husband, the head chef, to set the menu and meet, greet, and serve their diverse crowd of regulars. To North Philadelphia neighbors, other local business owners, nearby workers, and now-out-of-towners who kept going back, Mrs. Hwang was the face of the place.

“She was the personality,” said her son-in-law, Paul Barker. Her daughter Tina said: “She was disciplined, very smart, and businesslike.”

Mrs. Hwang kept busy with phone orders as well as walk-ins and spent so much time at the restaurant in North Philly in the 1980s and ‘90s that she wound up sounding like a lifelong resident. One of her signature sayings was: “Coffee, 65 cents. No free refills.”

She and her husband served up countless chili cheese dogs and cheese steak hoagies, Scrapple and grits. Their three children — son Don and daughters Tina and Linda — worked at the shop when they were young, and their granddaughter Morgan said they made the best pancakes and ham breakfast ever.

Mrs. Hwang was at work by 5:30 a.m. most days for the breakfast rush and back home after the lunch crunch often before the kids returned from school. On Sunday’s, they closed the shop and made time for church.

Her granddaughter Shelly noted her “grit, hard work, and determination.” She said: “Their sacrifice laid the foundation for their three children and future generations.” Her granddaughter Morgan said: “She was truly the heartbeat of the family.”

Mrs. Hwang grew up in Seoul, South Korea. She met Oe Tok Hwang, a native of Japan, in Seoul, and they married in 1960.

She became a deaconess at the Korean United Church of Philadelphia and a U.S. citizen, and was active with church missionary programs that funded international students. She grew flowers, cucumbers, lettuce, peppers, fruit, and other vegetables in her home gardens, and, seemingly ever-present outside, can be seen tending her lawn in a Google maps online photo.

“Chung Soon lived a remarkable life defined by faith, devotion, love, and quiet strength,” her family said in a tribute. “Born with a generous spirit and a heart the size of Korea, she openly welcomed everyone.”

Chung Soon Kim was born Nov. 29, 1935. She grew up with two sisters and two brothers, and showed an early inclination to work and make her own way in the world.

“She was savvy and had a sharp sixth sense for who people were,” her son-in-law said. “She could read a room.” Her daughter Tina said: “She had incredible gratitude.”

She lived in Pennsauken before Cherry Hill and enjoyed entertaining and cooking, especially kimchi and rice. Her family said she created “a sanctuary of love and tradition.” They said: “Her home was always filled with laughter, comfort, and the smell of something delicious.”

She hosted memorable New Year’s Day parties and invited everyone to her favorite South Jersey restaurants. She watched Korean soap operas and snuck forbidden table scraps to her daughter’s dog. Her husband died in 2011, and her daughter Linda died in 2015

Neighbors and friends called her “extraordinary” and “kind” in online tributes. One friend said: “Heaven has a new head gardener.”

Her family said: “Her life was a testament to love, perseverance, and faith.”

In addition to her children, Mrs. Hwang is survived by eight grandchildren, a great-granddaughter, a brother, and other relatives. A brother and two sisters died earlier.

Services were held on Sept. 29 and 30.

Donations in her name may be made to the Korean United Church of Philadelphia, 1200 W. Cheltenham Ave., Philadelphia, Pa. 19126.