Compiled and written by David R. Schleper, 2023
Khim Khoan was born on February 3, 1943 in Takéo Province, Kingdom of Cambodia, or Khmer ព្រះរាជាណាចក្រកម្ពុជា.
Located in the south of Cambodia to the west of Bassac River, Takéo borders the provinces of Kampot to the west, Kampong Speu to the northwest and Kandal to the north and east. Its southern boundary is the international border with Vietnam.
Takéo Province is often referred to as the cradle of Cambodian civilization. Takéo Province has several important pre-Angkorian sites built between the 5th and the 8th century. The provincial capital, Takéo town, is an easygoing place that possesses a fair amount of natural and manmade beauty.
Khim Khoan had four brothers and two sisters. His parents were Gal and Soi. His mother and father were rice farmers. As a kid, he would climb up palm trees to collect palm sugar to support his family and make money. He and his family later moved to Battambang, as rice farming was not a good livelihood where they were living.
Khim Khoan first married Mogne. They had three boys together: Sok, Lay, and Neauk.
Monge, Khim’s wife, died from malaria. Not too long after, their child, Neauk, also died, also from malaria. Malaria is an endemic in 100 countries, a factor that places more than forty percent of the world’s population at risk. Sixty percent of Cambodia’s landscape poses a malarial risk. One million Cambodians are infected with malaria each year. Of those infected, between 1.5 percent and ten percent in some remote provinces die. For Khim Khoan, Sok and Lay were the only surviving sons.
Khim Khoan met Leng in 1973. Khim and Lang would spend the rest of their life together. They had a total of six kids: two boys (Sok and Lay), one adopted son (Sarom), and three girls (Soksan, Seap, and Jennifer), according to the Daily American Republic obituary.
In Cambodia, Khim was a rice farmer and Leng was a seamstress.
Starting in the 1970s, a bloody civil war raged between Vietnamese and Khmer communist groups, leading to the Khmer Rouge. In 1978, Leng, Khim, Sok, and Lay fled Cambodia. Soksan and Seap were left behind. Seap died at an early age in Cambodia.
With Khim’s leadership, Khim, Leng, Sok, and Lay escaped the Khmer Rouge and made it to a refugee camp in Thailand. There, they met and adopted Sarom. They were then sponsored by Beverly and Ernie Rogers in 1979 and came to the United States, according to the Daily American Republic.
Once in the United States, Khim and his family planted roots in Poplar Bluff, Missouri. When they first arrived, they lived with Beverly and Ernie Rogers. Khim found a job as a laborer at a lumber yard. Jennifer was born shortly after they arrived in the United States. Soksan was brought to the United States in 1995.
Khim worked at the lumber yard for 24 years. He retired following open heart surgery and a subsequent fractured rib. He moved to Shakopee, Minnesota in 2003.
According to the obituary, in June 2015, Khim suffered from a stroke, impacting his health and independence. He remained strong after his stroke. He celebrated his 80th birthday with his family.
On July 12, 2023, he died at 2 a.m. in his home surrounded by his wife and family.
Khim loved to show off his strength. He would flex his pec muscles, which would make his kids and wife laugh. He had a sweet tooth and loved soda, especially Mountain Dew. His favorite shows to watch were WWE wrestling and The Three Stooges. He had a hobby of woodworking and would enjoy it after work. But most of all, he loved to spend his time at home with his wife and family.
Khim was a strong, supportive, and lovable man. Khim and Leng built a life full of love with one another and made wonderful memories with friends and family. He was a husband, father, grandfather, and friend. His wife, kids, and grandkids carry on his legacy. He had 15 grandkids and four great-grandchildren.
A monk blessing was held on Saturday, July 22, 2023. A funeral happened on Sunday, July 23, 2023, at the McNearney-Schmidt Funeral and Cremation in Shakopee, according to McNearney-Schmidt Funeral and Cremation.
Bibliography
“Khim Khoan.” Daily American Republic. https://www.darnews.com/obituaries/khim-khoan-3002714/.
“Obituary information for Khim Khoan.” McNearney-Schmidt Funeral and Cremation. https://www.mcnearneyfuneralhome.com/obituaries/Khim-Khoan?obId=28431879.