Neang Seng

Neang Seng, beloved wife, mother, grandmother, sister and aunt, passed away at Intermountain Medical Center surrounded by family and close friends on September 5, 2026. She was 68 years old.

Neang was born on February 2, 1958 in Moung Ruessei District, Battambang Province, Cambodia to her loving parents, Hor and Mith Seng. She was the fourth of six children. Her family raised her in the small countryside village throughout her childhood and adolescence where she attended school, developed caring friendships and learned to honor others with curiosity and care.

One of the most harrowing chapters in her life was surviving the Khmer Rouge, the genocidal regime that seized control of Cambodia from 1975 to 1979. The experience involved forced migration and labor where she endured harsh and unjust living conditions resulting in displacement, exhaustion and starvation. Alongside her family, she made the treacherous journey through the dense, rugged forest to escape from the labor fields to the Khao-I-Dang Holding Center, the refugee camp located on the Thai-Khmer border.

In building life anew in the refugee camp, she created a new sense of community. She ran a small shop selling food staples such as sugar, spices and vegetables to earn a living. She later became an elementary school educator and taught first and second grade. It was also during this period that she met and married her husband on November 30, 1980. Over the next four years, they welcomed their first two children.

In February 1986, the Tolstoy Foundation sponsored Neang and her young family to the U.S. where they initially resettled in the Salt Lake Valley and soon after welcomed their youngest child. Following this period, she moved to Modesto, California for a brief time inspired by the growing Khmer community and additional opportunities. She later moved back to West Valley City, Utah to be with her strong support system, her large extended family, where she remained.

Throughout the next three decades, Neang lived a life filled with love for her family and community and she brought joy in the only way she could. An expression of her love was the constant home cooked meals she served others. She drove community members to where they needed to be and became part of daily school pick-ups and drop-offs for the children she watched and cared for. She was a fixture at the various Khmer holidays, ceremonies and gatherings held at Wat Buddhikaram, adhering to the Buddhist principles that guided her living. She adored capturing home videos and posing for the camera for her and the community’s enjoyment. She danced and sang Khmer karaoke until rest was her only option. Above all, she worked tirelessly to raise her family and the many children without any biological ties because she loved them as if they were her own.

Neang’s kindness extended to those who remained a constant presence in her life and those who were simply acquaintances. Our family’s love for her knows no bounds and she will be dearly missed.

Neang is survived by her husband, Poeut Leung; her children: Savith Poeut, Sinoeun Poeut and Samnang Leung (Joseph Kim); her grandchildren: Dilyn Poeut and Wonhi Kim; her sisters: Man Seng, Meun Seng, Mon Seng and Chy Seng; and her brother, Rithy Seng.

Funeral services will be on Saturday, September 19 at 10 a.m. at McDougal Funeral Homes located at 4330 S Redwood Rd, Taylorsville, UT 84123. A viewing will be in the same location on Friday, September 18 from 1–3 p.m.

Memorial donations may be made by contacting Sinoeun Poeut at (801) 815-2911.