Somphone Chanthavong

OBITUARY
Somphone Chanthavong was born in Laos in 1935. She married Khankham Chanthavong, and together they raised nine children before immigrating to the United States in 1978, settling first in Fort Worth, Texas. There, she worked at Tandy Corporation from 1980 to 1986, building a new life for her family in a new country. In 1986, she moved to Modesto, California, where she would spend the next four decades, much of it centered around her temple community, where she found comfort in the daily rhythms of temple life and a deep love for Buddhist chanting. She was widowed in 1988 and never remarried, choosing instead to raise her family and live life fully on her own terms for nearly forty years.
In the final year of her life, Somphone returned to Texas to be closer to family, where she spent her days on foodie adventures and gathered with loved ones for holidays and birthdays, savoring the simple joys of togetherness right up until the end.
She is survived by 5 children, 20 grandchildren, and 28 great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband, Khankham, and four of their children —one in Laos, and three in the United States.