Pong Chom Lang

Pong Chom Lang (Yi) was born December 24th, 1952 in Masan, South Korea, now a part of Changwon in South Gyeongsang Province. She was the youngest daughter of Ha Yi, but her older 5 siblings had already moved out of the household by the time of her birth.

She was born shortly after the Japanese occupation of Korea and during the Korean War which caused widespread difficulty to the general Korean population. These challenging circumstances during her childhood instilled grit and independence in Pong from an early age.

As a young woman she worked at a sweater factory and also at a seafood processing facility. She had moved to a small South Korean village that no longer exists near Camp Bray, an American missile site. It was then she crossed paths with a young American soldier who was stationed at the camp. They were inseparable from the beginning, and Pong married Timothy Lang in Seoul, South Korea six months later.

Pong traveled with her husband to multiple duty stations including Ft. Bliss, Texas, Ft. Riley, Kansas, Frankfurt, Germany, and Ft. Lewis, Washington. Her son Peter was born in 1985 and another son, Timothy Jr. was born in 1988. Unfortunately, Timmy passed away due to prematurity on his day of birth. Pong and Timothy settled down in University Place, Washington after Timothy retired from the military.

There, Pong enrolled in cosmetology school and became a hair stylist for a few years. However, her primary focus was on raising her son, and her dedication to her husband. She enjoyed cooking Korean dishes for the family and spending time in her backyard garden.

Pong was a firm believer in Jesus Christ and was baptized in Junction City, Kansas in 1982. After settling in UP, Washington, Pong and Timothy were longtime members of Tacoma First Baptist Church. She attended worship services daily and was an active member of the church community. She courageously shared her testament of God with others, witnessing to tens of thousands of people over the years whenever possible.

After retiring from a civilian career, Pong and Timothy spent much of their free time sharing the word of God with others. Retirement also brought them on new travel adventures, and a relocation first to Springfield, Illinois and next to Cary, North Carolina. It was in Cary that Pong faced an aggressive cancer relapse that she ultimately lost her life to.

She passed away on December 9th, 2025, at WakeMed in Raleigh, surrounded by her loved ones. She is proceeded in death by her mother, three brothers, one sister, and her son Timmy. She is survived by her brother, her husband Timothy, her son Peter and his wife Misty, along with eight grandchildren: Alexandra, Alexander, Calista, Nash, Lacie, Phoenix, Lana, and Leif.

A Private Family Moment will be held at Brown-Wynne funeral home in Cary, NC on December 17th, 2025 at 5pm. Afterwards, Pong will travel to Michigan to be laid to rest. Services and burial in Michigan will be arranged by Langelands Funeral Home, located at 622 South Burdick St., Kalamazoo, MI, 49007.

Memorial tributes and messages of sympathy can be left by clicking the "Add a Memory" box below Brown Wynne of Cary is honored to serve the Lang family.