Sue M. Thao's Obituary
Sue M. Thao
Zer Moua was born on June 4, 1959 to Chue Pao Moua and True Thao in a small village of Laos. She was number eight of ten children. Her siblings are Maim, Mai, Chong Vang, Nue Shoua, Ger, Lang, Zoua, Ka, and Ah. Zer was about seven years old when her father tragically passed away.
After the Vietnam war, Zer arrived with her mother and siblings to the United States in 1978. Her name was written as “Xou” on her immigration paperwork. This is when friends and family started to call Zer “Xou”. She lived with her brother Nue Shoua in Boston, Massachusetts and attended Newton High School graduating with her high school diploma. In 1980, she met a young man named Neng Thao, who would become her husband. They wedded on June 28, 1980 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania after a five-month courtship. The young couple then settled in Brown Brook, New Jersey.
On March 18, 1981, Zer gave birth to a healthy boy named Lee. Zer was a homemaker while her husband Neng worked. Zer gave birth to their second child, Lucy, on May 24, 1982. She had her third child, Lisa, on May 18, 1987. Not too long after, the young family relocated to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. In 1993, Zer found employment working for Eberly Poultry. After a year, she then started employment at Hess Brothers where she would work packaging apples for the next 15 years. Neng and Zer became US citizens on March 3, 2000. This is when Zer changed her name to “Sue” to match phonetically to her then legal name “Xou”.
To their joy, Sue gave birth to the couple’s fourth child, Lena, on February 2, 2001. Due to health issues, Sue left her employment at Hess Brothers in 2009. While in Pennsylvania, Sue was active in her church as a youth sponsor and impacted the lives of many young people. She was always willing to give a listening ear to those who needed some encouragement.
In 2011, Neng, Sue, and Lena moved from Lititiz, Pennsylvania to Green Bay, Wisconsin to live with their son Lee and his family. Sue remained a homemaker and was the best grandma to her grandbabies. Then in 2015, Sue’s family moved from Green Bay, Wisconsin to Lakeland, Florida where she remained home to help watch her six grandchildren.
Her hobbies include watching Asian dramas, fishing, gardening, playing video games (her favorite was Mario Brothers), quilting, and sewing Hmong clothes. She also loved to listen to Hmong sermons and Christian Hmong songs on YouTube.
In November of 2018, Sue was diagnosed with uterine cancer and underwent surgery. In February of 2019, Sue was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent surgery. She developed kidney failure in July 2021 and started her routine dialysis treatments. On January 15, 2023, at the age of 63, Sue went to be with the LORD. She was predeceased by her parents, two sisters, and two brothers. She is survived by Neng Xao Thao (husband), Za Lee and Amy Thao (son/daughter-in-law), Lucy and David Ulrich (daughter/son-in-law), Lisa and Jack Vue (daughter/son-in-law), and Lena Thao (daughter). She is also survived by her seven grandchildren (Zell Moua, Luke Thao, Liam Thao, Abigail Thao, Logan Thao, AnnaLee Thao, and Landon Thao) who will miss her dearly.
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