Esio Fingh Leiz

Esio Fingh Leiz, of Portland, Oregon, passed away unexpectedly on Thursday, October 11, 2018.

Esio is survived by his wife of 43 years, Mong, sons Gow and Nai, daughters Mey, Koy, Farm, Feuy, Mahn, and eight grandchildren.

Esio was born on June 16, 1953 in Laos. Officially, on his immigration paperwork, his birth date is August 16, 1954, but his actual birth date was June 16, 1953. (Some may understand the tendency for dates to get lost in translation during the immigration process.)

Esio didn’t have an easy life. When he was barely a teenager, he was deployed to the Vietnam War for 3 years. He served as a terrorist volunteer investigator for the USA CIA Secret War. His family was very poor, so about the age of 17 (sometime after he returned from the Secret War), he was sold off by his cousins to a neighbor for 12 coins. He lived with those people for 3 years while his mother lived with their cousins. Only after he had earned enough coins to repay the debt his family owed to the neighbors, was he able to return home.

In 1975, Esio married his wife, Mong, and moved in with her family in Laos. In July of that same year, Esio and his family moved to Thailand by way of the Mekong River. They walked 24 hours to get from Laos to the Mekong River. There, in Thailand, they lived in a refugee camp for 5 years. In November 1979, Esio, along with his wife and two-year-old daughter, immigrated to the United States.

They landed in Hartford, Connecticut, where they were sponsored by a wonderful church group. The church group members helped Esio and his family get settled and acclimated to life in the U.S. Esio was determined to build a better life for him and his family. After 6 months in Hartford, they moved to Portland, Oregon, where many other Mien people lived, and where they would eventually raise their expanding family.

Esio was a hard worker and had an unwavering work ethic. He always held a full-time job, sometimes even two, to provide for his family. He always made sure they had food on the table, a roof over their heads, and medical and dental insurance.

Esio was passionate about his spiritual beliefs, gardening, tending to his koi fishes, and watching various YouTube videos – especially cooking tutorials, Mien chanting rituals, and music videos.

A funeral service for Esio will be held at 9:00 AM on Saturday, October 13, 2018 at Advantage Funeral & Cremation 1515 NE 106th Ave, Portland OR. Burial will follow at 11:30 AM at Gethsemani Cemetery & Funeral Home 11666 SE Stevens Rd, Happy Valley OR.