It is with a heavy heart that we share the news of Punyoon "Yoon" Hirunrusme's passing on April 16, 2023. Husband, father, friend and neighbor, he has been a pillar of strength and an inspiration in many people's lives. He was born on March 10, 1949, and was a beloved husband to Janet Hirunrusme and a loving father to Daniel Hirunrusme and Jencey (Hirunrusme) Keeton.

Words can't express enough how much he meant to our family. He was a complicated man with a rich history, yet at the same time very simple in the joy he expressed and shared. His kind, generous, and supportive nature made him a very special person in our lives. He was always there for us, his friends and neighbors, no matter what, and his unwavering love and care brought us all together. His sense of humor and style were unmatched, and he always knew how to make us laugh and light up a room. His signature hand gestures and loud laugh would make you crack up every time he told you a story and he was always telling new ones to everyone's surprise.

Yoon's biggest lesson to us was the value of kindness. He taught us to treat everyone with respect, regardless of their background or status. His selflessness and dedication to his family and friends made him the person we all aspire to be. If you visited his house you never left hungry and he shared everything he had, even when it wasn't a lot.

He had a great love for music, whether it was sharing his record collection with his children or buying tickets to concerts. Yoon had a huge collection of concert t-shirts and cherished his Levi's throughout his entire life, absolutely establishing himself as the coolest 74 year-old in the room at all times.

Yoon was the baby of his family, born in Bangkok, Thailand to Preecha and Yan Yong Hirunrusme. His father was a teacher and taught Chinese lessons out of the family house. Yoon told many colorful stories of his childhood in Bangkok, always surprising us with new ones. He talked about paying a quarter to watch the neighbor's TV so he could see cartoons and about his brother Punya who was one of the best fighters in the neighborhood. Yoon studied Judo in the Thai temple and taught his kids how to win in every fight which he said was crucial. 

His move to the United States at the age of 18 was one of his greatest accomplishments. He faced many challenges, but he never gave up. His courage and determination to carve his own path inspired us all.  He was one of the first male students to enter Radford College in Roanoka, VA which had been an all-female college up until that point. He was an artist and loved to paint, which would later become his full time profession. His children grew up with all of the family paintings hanging on the walls and boxes and boxes of artwork. There were funny stories about figure models and paintings hidden the the attic which might be forever lost. At Radford, he met Janet Tingler through an introduction by her roommate. Janet said she thought Yoon was so handsome, he introduced her to cooking, music he loved and told her she was beautiful.

Yoon and Janet soon married and decided to embark on another journey, moving to Dallas, TX. It was there that they would plant roots for their children to be born and their family to grow. On May 1, 1982 they had their first child, Jencey, she was named after Janet's Mother whose nickname was "Jencey". Yoon called Jencey his "Little Buddha" and adored her, carrying her around on this shoulders and always watching her in adoration. They thought they were going to have a boy first but when she was born he told Janet, "I can teach her to play soccer too." 

Four years later they bought their first house in Plano, TX. It was a red brick house with an open back yard which they transformed into a lush landscape of all types of plants throughout their marriage of 46 years. Two years later, on July 20, 1988, Daniel was born with a mohawk of bright red hair. They nicknamed him "Rooster". When Yoon and Jencey went to visit Janet in the hospital after Daniel was born, Yoon asked her to hide french fries and a cheeseburger in her raincoat pockets because Janet didn't like the hospital food. Yoon was so proud of his son and often took him fishing in the secret spots that only he knew about outside the city.

Throughout his many years as a painter, Yoon worked with many clients who adored him and was always bringing home gifts from them. Furniture, plants, clothes and sometimes even animals. They remained loyal to him, referring their friends and family to help him grow his business. He passed on this strong base of entrepreneurship to his children and taught them that they could achieve anything they dreamed of if they continued to work hard. He always had an anecdote about how to get to the the next level in life.

One thing not many people knew about Yoon was that he was always inventing things. He would many times come up with an idea and then test it out with his family. One of those was a "portable tool box" which was a tool belt wrapped around an oxygen tank dolly on wheels. He could fix anything with a piece of wire and allowed his children to express themselves by also painting their rooms and anything else in the house that made sense.

Yoon's memory will always live on through us, and we will miss him dearly. His wife Janet cared for him tirelessly during the last year of his life as he relentlessly fought all of the medical obstacles that were thrown his way due to the development of prostate cancer. She sat by his side through emergency room visits, rehabilitation and was with him as he passed in his sleep. Yoon's final message to his family was that they were "the love of his life", he gave everything to them and he was so proud of them. He asked them not to be sad and to always remember that he loved them.

We are grateful for the outpouring of love and support from our friends and family during this difficult time. We have planned a memorial service to celebrate his life on May 14, 2023, at 10:30 AM at the Buddhist Temple of Dallas followed by a reception at his daughter and son-in-law, Jencey and Cole Keeton's residence.

In lieu of flowers, we kindly ask that you consider making a donation to the Feral Friends Community Cat Alliance at https://everloved.com/life-of…. Your generosity will help to continue Yoon's legacy of kindness and love for all living beings.

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