Mrs. Tho Chhay's Obituary
Mrs. Chhay was born in Kompong Cham Province, Cambodia on October 14, 1940, the oldest child of five – two sisters and two brothers. She married to Lieutenant Ann Neil in 1959. Mr. Neil served in Khmer Army at the rank of Colonel in 1974. He was killed during the heavy combat between the Khmer Communist and the Government.
After the Communist took over the government, Mrs. Chhay and her five children, who were at very young ages, were forced to leave their home in Phnom Penh, the capital city of Cambodia, to live and work in the remote farm area. Mrs. Chhay, along with many millions of other Cambodians, had to do hard labor with very little food to eat.
In 1976, she was put in prison because of her husband was a high ranking officer with the defeated government. She left behind her five children under the care of her old mother who later died while she was still in prison. She had to endure the hard labor and survived the harsh condition as a prisoner. Yet, she did not know that her children had become orphanages and had to tend for themselves.
In 1979, after the collapse of the Khmer Communist, Mrs. Chhay escaped from prison while the guards ran for their lives. She went to the village to look for her children. It was a miracle that the five of them survived and reunited with their mother. They went back to their home but only to find out that many families had occupied the place. Because of her kindness, the people were willing to share with her a small area. She made a living by selling a few grocery items in the market. She barely generated enough income to support her children.
With the help of a person whom she had never known, Mrs. Chhay, her five children and an adopted daughter escaped to refugee camp in Thailand in 1981. Later on her youngest brother helped sponsor the entire family to come to Houston, TX. While she was trying to adjust to life in the US, she helped her brother with the family business.
When her brother moved to live in another state, Mrs. Chhay decided to stay in Houston. She worked various jobs to support her children. With the help of her two oldest sons who worked part-time and went to school full-time, she ran a very tight ship and managed to put food on the table and a roof over their heads. She never complained nor did she show her weariness of working, cooking, and cleaning.
Mrs. Chhay became a Christian in 1987 while attending a Cambodian Baptist church in Houston. In 2014, she became ill with liver cancer. Through her strong belief, faithfulness, and trust in God, she took comfort in Him to help her through the tough time of treatment and hospitalization. Her positive attitude in life and the love and support of her beloved children gave her the strength to carry her far beyond the expected time predicted by the doctors. She passed away peacefully at her son’s home surrounded by her children, grandchildren, and many of her friends who came to pray for her.
Mrs. Chhay was a wonderful mother and grandmother. She raised her kids to be respectful and grateful. She lived a wonderful life, and those who knew her loved her and were loved by her.
She will be greatly missed by her families and many friends. She is survived by Sean Chhay, her youngest brother of Bluffston SC; her children Jimmy Chhay (spouse Metta) of Pearland TX, Andrew Chhay (spouse Visakha) of Missouri City TX, Billy Chhay (spouse Dara) of Conroe TX, Paula Kong (spouse Bora) of Pearland TX, Alex Chhay (spouse Mary) of Deer Park TX; her granddaughter Alicia; her grandsons, Kevin, Anthony, Brenden, Eric, Nicolas, Neil, Ben, Dan, David, and Justin her nieces; Juliet and Michelle, and her nephew; Michael.
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