Dino was the youngest child of Wathana Meas and Sopheap Um. He was born on 11/11/1982 in St. Paul Minnesota. Dino was the only one in his family born in the United States, a year after his family arrived from refugee camps after fleeing Cambodia because of war and the atrocities known as the “Killing Fields”.

From an early age, he had serious problems with asthma. While his parents were adjusting to a new life in a new culture, they did everything they could to get him medical attention. His grandmother also had a significant role in caring for him. His health soon improved after the family moved to Norwalk California in 1989. Although he was the youngest, he was close in age to his brother Pitou and sister Rachana. The three of them having many childhood memories together, often being each other’s closest companions. They had laughter, goofiness, normal sibling fights, and love for each other. They also sensed the great love and care from their mom and dad who tirelessly worked long hours to make a living and provide for the family. Meanwhile the children quickly grasped a language and culture in the US that at times created a gap that contrasted with what was familiar at home. But Dino and his brother and sister always had great love and respect for their mom and dad, each of them coming to resemble the different strengths of their parents. You could see the qualities of both his father and mother in Dino. He was a deep thinker, had a great sense of humor and was reflective like his father. And like his mother, Dino was a person who did not bring attention to himself or complain about his pain. Ultimately, he showed integrity like both his father and mother.

In 1984, Dino’s father began studying the Bible with Jehovah’s Witnesses in St Paul, MN which led to him making changes in their life that benefited the whole family and helped them to build faith in God. Dino began attending Christian meetings of Jehovah’s Witnesses with the whole family in St. Paul when he was a small child. In October 1989, his father moved the family to Norwalk, CA to be a part of the small Cambodian language group in the Hillcrest Congregation of Long Beach, CA. Thus began an influence on Dino’s heart to see that his Cambodian heritage was not something that was to be discarded, but something he embraced and fully appreciated knowing that he could have a part in helping fellow Cambodians learn about the Bible. Dino would join his father on Bible studies that sometimes would last for hours, and understandably went well beyond his time tolerance as a child, but he was never the type of child or adult to avoid what was asked of him. He was a respectful and obedient son. Dino had the influence of his parents’ example of service to Jehovah and placing worship as important in their lives, along with his grandmother, and the encouragement and direct influence of close family friends and other mature ones that took interest in him and his siblings. This helped Dino to build faith, to know and love Jehovah as his God. This faith would be crucial near the end of Dino’s life.

Dino always remained a part of the congregation as he soon made his personal decision to dedicate his life to Jehovah God and be baptized as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses in 1995 at the age of 13 while in the English language Hillcrest Congregation in Long Beach, CA. In 2000, the family then became part of the 1st Cambodian language congregation in the US. A beautiful family of dad, mom, grandma, and 3 young children, all doing their best to learn about and worship God as a family. There was no other family like theirs in the congregation.

Dino had the privilege of serving as a Ministerial Servant for some years while in the Cambodian Congregation, during which time he applied himself to read Khmer (Cambodian) , and was used as a reader at the Watchtower Study. At Conventions (which at that time were only in the English language), his dad would have Dino help older Cambodian ones find verses in the Cambodian Bible so that they could follow along with the program as his dad would sit nearby and interpret for them.

In 2007 when his 94 yr old grandmother was lying in her bed during her final days at home, Dino would come downstairs from his room at night when all was quiet, and he would sit next to her bed and read the Cambodian Bible to her so she could hear God’s Word in her final hours. He did this on his own. It was his gift and comfort to his grandma.

In 2017, Dino’s mom, Sopheap Um passed away. This loss had a significant effect on him. It affected his whole person, it seemed to have changed him from then on. His great pain is seen in his art and his writings.

Sometime during those years afterwards, he was associating with the Bolivar Park Congregation along with his father. Soon his health began declining rapidly from underlying conditions that created health complications. Within the last 2 years, this required him to be on dialysis every day during the whole night. This would leave him exhausted throughout the day. He would always be a presence at congregation meetings on video, and mustered his strength to attend in-person when he could. He enjoyed being there in-person to greet, hug and laugh with friends young and old. His whole countenance changed when he was at the congregation meetings! He loved being there! He felt at home. He experienced love and care from so many. It was evidence of Jehovah’s comfort, especially when dear older sisters would express affection for him. He cherished that. His last assignment was a Bible reading in June, which he was determined to give in-person. This required a sacrifice of energy. He was exhausted afterwards and short of breath, but happy to have completed it. His reading was with vigor and feeling. When he read out loud, he “told the story”. It was evident that he loved Jehovah’s thoughts in the Bible.

No matter how difficult his health was, or the discomfort he was in, Dino never complained, just like his mom. If you asked Dino how he was…you can still hear him saying in his low assurance “I’m okay”. Often, he wasn’t okay. He didn’t expect anyone to fix it. He knew his only hope was with the promise God made about his future.

Dino never directly experienced the life of fleeing a homeland from war and death as his parents did, but the trauma experienced by them had an indirect and significant effect on him as a person. While he didn’t often express his inner thoughts verbally, he revealed them in his poetry, prose, and drawings.

In recent years he had expressed to his father his desire to one day help the Cambodian Congregation again. He had come to love what his father and mother instilled in him.

Those who know Dino saw different facets of his personality. They saw his humor. His collection of many shoes and shirts. His knit hats. His creativity. His ability as an artist, visually and in drawings, sketches of faces, beautiful sketches. His creative writings and his poetry. His fondness for older ones. His conversations of deeper things that had touched his heart. His heart was soft. We saw his calm face.

In his final month while in the hospital, he faced decisions only he could make. His medical staff cared for him very much, caring for his physical health the best they could. However, Dino was also concerned with God’s view of matters, his “spiritual” health. He chose to have God’s view on the sanctity of life. He faced tests of his integrity. He said his hope was real. He was convinced that one day he would embrace his mother and his grandmother again, knowing that Jehovah remembers each of us who sleep in death. Dino was tired. He wanted to live, but he wanted to sleep.

Dino was convinced he would wake up again one day in the Resurrection. His mom will be so proud.

Dino is proceeded in death by his mother Sopheap Um, and his grandmother, Thin Thong.

He is survived by his father Wathana Meas, sister Rachana Meas-Tejada and her husband Noel, his brother Pitou Meas, his sister Salina Fraley and her husband Jason, and his nieces Priscilla Fraley and Nora Tejada.

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