Toui Chen Pomsouvan

Toui Chen Pomsouvan, age 78, passed away suddenly at his daughter’s home on Wednesday, September 14, 2022. Toui was born in Vientiane, Laos on February 8, 1944, the son of Lee and Myay Chen. He was the youngest of eight children. His parents both passed away when he was a boy and he was raised by his older siblings. From his earliest years, Toui had an unquenchable desire to learn. After graduating from Lieu Tow Chinese School in Vientiane, he began working for USAID. While there he met Phil Clifford, a International Volunteers Services participant. Phil recognized Toui’s educational potential and arranged for him to move to Portland, Oregon, with his parents, in order to attend college. Toui became a loving part of their family and while there earned his Associate Degree from Portland Community College.He subsequently moved to Washington DC and earned both his Bachelor of Arts and Masters of Arts from American University. He worked for 32 years as an economist for The US Department of Commerce. Learning was always a core value for Toui. On May 19, 1973 he married Donna Magill, of Sugarloaf, Pennsylvania. For 49 years he was a devoted husband to her and a loving father to their two daughters, Amelia (Swanson) and Andrea (Hewitt) both of Arlington, VA. He loved his four grandchildren, Maya, Ella, Kyra and Ethan with his whole heart. His absolute favorite activities were attending their sporting events - soccer, field hockey, baseball, basketball and tag football. Toui was a gifted athlete. He played competitive badminton in Laos and was an award winning tennis player in the United States when he was younger. In later years, he switched to pickleball which became his athletic passion. He participated in tournaments all over the United States and earned over 40 medals at the local, state and national levels. In the past few years he switched from playing to coaching. His attention to detail and proper techniques was legendary.He also created numerous YouTube videos of proper ways to play. He was a well known, popular sight on the Arlington pickleball courts. In addition to his wife, daughters and grandchildren he is survived by two sisters, Chanhsai Pomsouvan of Honolulu, Hawaii and Puk Pomsouvan of Chiang Mai, Thailand and by a brother, Kao Phomouvanh and sister-in-law, Tieng, of Arlington. Toui has two brothers-in-law and one sister-in-law in Sugarloaf, Pennsylvania. He is also survived by a son-in-law, Jason Swanson and by an incredible number of nieces and nephews, great nieces and nephews and great great nieces and nephews. His numerous pickleball friends and students in Northern Virginia and beyond were very important to him. Toui will be greatly mourned and missed. Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.murphy-funeralhomes.com for the POMSOUVAN family. In lieu of flowers please make an online donation to Pickleball for Parkinson’s through the Michael J Fox Foundation at tinyurl.com/54ay9vfc.