She had three sisters and one brother and was the third child in her family.
Due to unfortunate events, her parents along with her siblings passed away in Laos and Chia was the only one in her family who survived.
She married Chue Soua Vang and together they had thirteen kids: Mao (daughter), Neng (son), Pa (daughter), Leng (son), Txam (son), Shee Yee (son), Gnia (daughter), Ying (son), Ying Pao (son), Rwg (son), Ya Pao (son), Sa (son), Zua (daughter).
In 1968, her husband Chue Soua passed away and Chia remained a widow and took on the role of being a father and mother figure to her kids.
In 1974 the Vietnam War (also known as the Secret War) was closing in on the hills of Laos where the Hmong people lived, prompting Chia to flee with her family away from the Pathet Lao Communists. After a year-long journey through the jungles of Laos—Chia and her family finally reached Thailand in 1975 and lived there as refugees for five years.
After living in Thailand for five years, Chia and her family got the opportunity to immigrate to the United States in March of 1980 where they relocated to Seattle, Washington. After some time in Seattle, Chia came to know of Jesus Christ and left Shamanism to commit herself to follow the Lord whole heartedly. She attended the Hmong Christian and Missionary Alliance Church and dedicated her Sundays to the Lord and His church.
Although Chia enjoyed her time living in Seattle, she longed to be closer to most of her children who relocated to California. In 1985, Chia and her youngest son Sa made the move from Seattle to Stockton, California where she spent a little over a decade residing in before moving back again to Seattle in 1996 permanently. Shortly after moving back to Seattle, Chia obtained her US citizenship and received her certificate of neutralization on October 24th, 1997.
Chia was the matriarch of the Vang Clan and was a highly regarded elder in the fifty-three years after her husband’s death. She never remarried for the sake of her children and led an abundant life with grace. Chia was blessed to see four generations after her in her lifetime and enjoyed loving and caring for everyone.
On February 18th, 2021—Chia passed away and returned home to be with the Lord. She lived for ninety-four years and was blessing to her family. Chia leaves behind her kids, Leng (son), Ying (son), Sa (son), Gnia (daughter), daughter in laws, son in laws, and three generations of grandchildren. Chia leaves behind a legacy of preservation, love, and strength—she will be greatly missed by all.
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