On February 26, 2023, Somchay Khamphila passed away peacefully in her daughter’s home at age 68, after a 3 year battle with liver cancer. She was surrounded by her entire family as she took her final breath.

In the aftermath of the Vietnam War, thousands of people fled Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos, often in small overcrowded ships that were barely seaworthy. Laos was entangled in this brutal war and faced invasion from the North Vietnamese army, forcing hundreds of thousands of Laotians to escape the advancing soldiers. The majority of displaced Laotians traveled through dense jungles and through the treacherous Mekong River crossing, navigating towards the refugee camps of Thailand. Somchay was one of those displaced by the ongoing conflict, gathering her family and leaving her countryside home of Savannakhet, Laos, where they found their way to the refugee camp of Ubon, in northeast Thailand. 

Refugee life dealt Somchay a stark daily reality of having to endure with little to no resources; often struggling to care for and feed her three young children while her husband fought during the war. Somchay would scrape by for years, selling their own belongings for meager food money. In 1977, after two years of struggling through Ubon refugee camp, Somchay and her family were able to secure passage to the United States.

Somchay faced the same obstacles as many other immigrants affected by the war, struggling to learn the language and gain an economic foothold. She learned to survive and care for her family by working on the farms in Hemet, California, often working 10 – 12 hour days gathering and processing farm produce. Somchay would eventually find her way to San Diego and continue to raise her children there, with hopes of turning a new chapter and finding a better life for her and her children. While raising her family in San Diego, Somchay became a regular member and contributor to the Laotian community, often times, attending cultural ceremonies, family gatherings, celebrations, and funerals for other community members.

Somchay was the pure definition of a matriarch, an extraordinary wife, mother and grandmother who worked hard to be independent while creating strong communal bonds. She cared deeply for her family, friends, and neighbors. She did this, not out of obligation, but because of who she was. She was empathetic, always the first to offer help and words of encouragement. She regularly brought meals to the home of sick neighbors and was an active caregiver within the Laotian community. She'd always offer her home for anyone that needed a safe and warm place to stay. Somchay was also a respected member of the San Diego Laotian Buddhist community.

Somchay is survived by her husband, Phetsamone Khamphila, her daughter Tem Tran, her son Khio Khamphila, and five grandchildren. 

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