Tributes

On the morning of November 17th 2025 Lon Chheoum quietly and peacefully passed away in her home. On November 3rd 1941, Lon Chhoeum was born in Battambang, Cambodia. Lon's father was named Chheam, and her mother was named Lan Moeng. Lon was the third child in a family of six siblings, three daughters and three sons. Three of the siblings moved to the United States, while the other three remained in Cambodia. Lon’s father Chheam died during the Democratic Kampuchea era, leaving her mother as a widow. At approximately 22-years-old Lon met Nhem So and married him in 1963 and remained married to him for the next 60+ years. Lon had her eldest son Nhin in Battdambong, Cambodia and 18 years later, she had her second son Sarith in a Thailand refugee camp in 1982. While living in Cambodia Lon and Nhem resided in a home which had 4 acres of land in the province of Battambang and rural countryside of Thma Khol. Lon and Nhem were farmers and tended to rice fields and sold the crops. Lon earned a living as a seamstress and also did embroidary work. Unfortunately, under Pol Pot’s communist regime during the Khmer Rouge, Lon and her family were forced to leave their home and placed into a concentration camp, where she was forced into labor working in the rice fields. Lon and her family were able to flee the camp and get to the border area known as “Khao-I-Dang Camp Dare,” a place where refugees were received, and later stayed in a refugee camp in Thailand. After some time in the Thailand camp, Lon and her family was resettled in a third country—the United States. In 1985, Lon and her family came to America on October 31st arriving by airplane and landed in San Francisco airport. Lon and her family were sponsored by the Church which was affiliated with her brother-The Chhoeum Family, whom came to America first. Next Lon and her family took a small plane which landed in Fresno, California where Lon and her family settled into and where Lon would remain and plant her roots into. Lon was a hard worker and would work odd jobs to provide for her family including working in the grueling California fields. Lon predominately was a homemaker and cared for her mother Lan until she passed away in 1995. Lon raised her granddaughters as her own and adopted her granddaughter Dina legally. Furthermore, Lon helped to raise her great grandchildren Jermani, Kayden and Princeton as well. Lon instilled not only hard-work, and academic achievement in her children and grandchildren, Lon instilled warmth and displayed love with her smile, cooking-for hungry bellies and presence at all the important events to ensure that family knew that they were remembered and cared for. Lon was loved by her whole family and all whom met her shared Lon was a kind hearted woman with a gentle welcoming spirit. Lon will forever be remembered as a Beloved Wife, Mother, Grandmother, Great Grandmother, and Woman. Lon is survived by her husband Nhem So, her two sons Nhin So and Sarith So, and their respective wives Venny Sok and Jennifer So, her grandchildren Dina Guerra and her husband Stephen Guerra, Monica So, Kyo Sovann So, Ethan Rithana So, Nia Lon So, and her great-grand children Jermani Khemmani Davis, Kayden Dontaye Davis, Princeton Tyree Hall, Devon John Guerra and Sebastian Anthony Guerra. "Your life was a blessing, your memory a treasure. You are loved beyond words and missed beyond measure." -Unknown

Tributes

Lon Chhoeum

November 3, 1944 - November 17, 2025