Born in Room Long Cambodia to Chinese immigrant, Chheang Taing and Leang he was named Kim Huong and was the 4th child in their family of six children. Kim Huong showed an entrepreneurial spirit early in his life and, as a teenager, he was already traveling to Thailand through the coastal province of Compong Som by boat to explore any potential goods that he could exchange from Cambodia.

Soon after he returned to his hometown at the age of 21, he saw his future bride in the town courtyard. Sok Ngim was living with her paternal grandparents, at the time, to attend sewing school. Her grandparents were friends with Kim Huong's parents, but the two had never before crossed paths. It was a six-month courtship and the two married on July 22, 1969. They shared over 55 years of dedication to each other.

Kim Huong continued to do business and seek opportunities, which were many over his lifetime. Starting with working on his father's farm and rice mill, then trading goods in both Cambodia and Thailand, and shrimping and gem mining within Cambodia.

Kim Huong had three children, his eldest daughter, Channa, his son, Wanarah, and second daughter, Rady. There was a lot of political unrest in Cambodia which made medical resources scarce. As a result, Wanarah was taken to Heaven all too soon at the young age of two from an unknown illness. Fortunately, the boat he owned for his business travels, was how they eventually had to flee their homeland and reluctantly abandon the first home he had built.

During the perilous journey they had managed to escape being captured, direct gunfire and other potentially dangerous situations. Many others they knew and loved met with a different fate, including his older brother, Kim Lie and his entire family. They lived in a Thailand refugee camp until his family was helped by his brother, Kim Seng, to gain safe immigration to the United States.

During the winter of 1975, the family journeyed to the U.S. with a sponsorship by the congregation of Messiah Lutheran Church in St. Paul, MN where they ended up settling. The family had much support from their direct church member sponsors and dear friends, Gary (R.I.P.) and Sally Turnquist. As well as from Pastor Gabhert and specific church members Debbie Winge and Ted and Helga Taube... all of whom they remained very close to.

Sok Ngim gave birth to, Mary, his youngest daughter, that first spring of April 1976. Minnesota winters were especially difficult for Rady as she suffered respiratory issues that worsened by the cold climate. Therefore, Huong searched for new opportunities in a warmer climate that would ease her symptoms.

In 1980, the choice was made for the entire family to move from Minnesota where so many of his siblings and their children had settled at. They embarked on a new trail to the coastal city of Rockport, Texas. There he started a shrimp brokerage business, H&N Shrimp Company. He owned a building in the harbor of Aransas Pass where he rented slips and helped other refugees to sell their haul of blue crab and gulf shrimp. He also applied his handy carpenter skills by rehabbing shrimp boats and selling them for a profit. Locals were impressed with his ability to sell so many boats so quickly.

While in Texas, he also saw opportunities to buy a restaurant building and helped Sok Ngim to start her own contract sewing company, T&N Sewing Company. Ambition had fueled his hard work, but his work ethic was instilled by his devoted father, Chheang Taing (R.I.P). His father moved to Texas to be with his son's family to help care for his three daughters and keep them safe while Huong and Ngim worked long hours side by side.

God had a plan for the family to make their way back to Minnesota in 1987. The shrimp business was no longer viable due to red tide that occurred the year before Hurricane Gilbert hit the coastline. His brother, Kim, supportively suggested a move back to Minnesota with an opportunity to franchise Subway restaurants and embark on doing business together. Having a renewed passion with the prospect of a new venture, the family moved from Texas and, since then, remained in Minnesota where they initially relocated to Shorewood, MN where all his siblings lived in close proximity.

After some time, Kim Huong made the difficult decision from having co-ownership Subway franchises to venturing out on his own to start a donut shop business during the boom. He was able to establish five different donut shops in total with each move to a better location and, of which, two of them he built himself from the ground up. As always, he used his carpentry skills and resourcefulness for these projects and proudly made every single donut himself.

In 1996, he eventually sold his home in Shorewood and moved to Robbinsdale on Twin Lake as he wanted to be closer to the last donut shop he owned in Brooklyn Center. He also invested in a strip mall, bought and operated a gas station, general contracted and built his dream home on the vacant lot next to his original Robbinsdale home in which he then in turn rented, and lastly, purchased his final business venture, a tropical fruit farm in Homestead, FL. All these achievements were not easy, and there were difficulties and challenges along the way. He endured and consistently pressed on with determination.

Moving to Robbinsdale, also, meant finding a new church home. Over the years, after they accepted Jesus Christ into their hearts in 1975, Kim Huong and Ngim deepened their faith in Christ. Located less than ten minutes away Cambodian Church of The Nazarene became their spiritual home where they were able to read and hear scripture and sing hymns in their native tongue for the first time.

It wasn’t always all work for him. Still, we would rather have had him spend much less time working in life. Kim Huong was able to take many vacations across the states and abroad, but his most memorable trips were to his hometown in Cambodia, his father’s hometown in Guangzhou, China and the times that he was able to travel with his grandchildren. He took much pride in his six lovely grandchildren, Alina, Ryler, Isaac, Love, Grant and Reid. He always encouraged them to dream big. And when Alina married Donovan, he always called him grandson as well.

In 2020, when the Minnesota winter came in, they headed out to enjoy their tropical “heaven on earth” in Homestead, FL. Huong started feeling ill in November and was jaundice. COVID was rampant and medical appointments were difficult to schedule. Temporary treatment was given but finally after much waiting, he was diagnosed with a rare cancer, cholangiocarcinoma in March 2021. The extremely complex cancer surgery was performed by the most experienced Whipple procedure surgeon, Dr. Sleeman at the University of Miami in April 2021 where he spent his 73rd birthday during a difficult and prolonged post-op recovery.

His strength to endure was inspiring. Huong always said, "Right place, right time" when it came to good circumstances. God had demonstrated His great love for him and amazing grace by placing him in Florida that season. When he returned to Minnesota to receive cancer treatment he was equally blessed by God to have the North Memorial Cancer Center only five minutes away. God granted him nearly four more years on this side of life for which we are all so thankful for.

Huong was curious and loved to learn new things especially science and economics. He was especially interested in technology and the latest new discovery. He was an enthusiastic sports fan (go Vikes!) and always tuned in to watch the NFL, NBA and boxing sports. He loved to cook and bake.

His family and friends admired his ambition, courage, and strength. He was an artist, great singer and dancer. They describe him as handsome, generous, witty, helpful, a quick-learner, non-judgmental, resourceful, charismatic, understanding, outgoing, hardworking, handy, adventurous, reliable, brave and truly one-of-a-kind.

Huong is preceded in death, in the order of passing, by his mother Leang Hou, son Wanarah, older brother Eng Ly and his beloved family, brother-in-law Seah Kuey (Eng), father Chheang, younger brother Samnang, mother-in-law Ny Eng, niece Dalia, and best friend Gary.

Huong is survived by his wife Ngim, daughters, son-in-laws, and their children: Channa & Dan McDowall, Alina & Donovan Evans, Ryler; Rady & Steve Bauer, Isaac, Love; Mary & Mike Cohrs, Grant, Reid. His siblings: Eng, Kim (Naychy), Hong Siv (Sokkha). His father-in-law Hiang, Brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law: Sok Ngey (Samnang), Chylee (Vorn), Nuong Hour (Ra), Sokha (Hoa), Sokhom (Ying), Sok Kheng (Chanthou), Pallar (Chanton), Phary, Johnny (Manika). And his many dear nephews and nieces whom he shared very special memories with and their children that he was just getting to know.