Ann Yang

With deep love and heavy hearts, we announce the passing of Ann Yang on Saturday, May 24, 2025, at the age of 69. Ann, born as Ah Xyooj on July 10, 1955, in Xiengkhouang Province, Laos to parents Soob Kuam Xyooj and Rwg Vaaj. Ann lived a life rooted in warmth, community, and adventure. Her parents sent her to school as a child where she learned to speak Laotion along with her native Hmong language. She loved playing the spinning top game (tuj lub) – a simple joy that brought laughter as well as her competitive streak. She was taught at a young age to sing the Hmong folk lore songs in which she exceled and was very well praised in her village for this. Ann met and married her husband David Yang (Nyaj Nruag Yang) in April of 1974. She fled with her family from the communist Laos Regime by crossing the Mekong River from Vientiane, Laos to a refugee camp in Nong Khai, Thailand on June 8, 1975. The following year, Ann and her family relocated from the Nong Khai Refugee Camp to the Ban Vinai Refugee Camp in Thailand. With her husband and her two children at the time, Pao and Hue, they fled to the United States of America on August 11, 1978, and resettled in the city of Providence, RI. Ann worked as an assembly worker in a manufacturing company, where she was known for her diligence, reliability, and strong work ethic. She took pride in her work and in supporting her family, always finding strength in the value of honest labor and perseverance. Ann will be remembered for the joy she brought into every space she entered. She had a gift for cooking meals that brought family and friends together, a passion for traveling that opened her eyes to the world, and a talent for embroidery that stitched love and beauty into each thread. She found peace and pride in her garden, nurturing life with the same care and patience she gave to her family. She never missed an opportunity for a heartfelt conversation with friends and family, old and new. Her deep involvement in her church community was a testament to her faith and kindness. She offered her time, her heart and her hands in service, never seeking praise, only offering love. Ann’s legacy lives on in the lives she touched with her wisdom, generosity, and gentle spirit. Her memory will continue to inspire all who knew her. Ann is preceded in death by her husband David Yang; father Soob Kuam Xyooj; mother Rwg Vaaj; and sister Mee Her Yang. Ann is survived by her beloved family of eight children, twenty grandchildren and 3 great grandchildren: 1st son Pao Yang and grandchildren: Michael, Isaac, Jaelynn, Jolie; 2nd son Hue Yang (his wife Mylia) and grandchildren Vanesa (her husband Blong and children Eritrea, Elliott, Elysia), Alex, Ethan; 3rd son Abraham Yang (his wife Mai) and grandchildren: Kaydence, Celeste, Liam, and Coraley; 4th son Sue Yang; 1st daughter Nkaujzuag Yang and grandchildren: Ada, Arabella, Lucas, and Logan; 2nd daughter Kangbao Herr and grandchildren: Charlotte, and Delilah; 3rd daughter Julie Yang; 5th son Ger Yang (his wife Panya) and grandchildren Evelyn, Eleanor, and Ezra. Ann is also survived by her younger brother Cha Cheng Xiong. Their lives are a reflection of her love, strength, and unwavering spirit. Her presence will be profoundly missed, but her legacy lives on through them and through all who are blessed to know her. She will be forever remembered, deeply loved, and never forgotten.

Ann Yang

July 10, 1955 - May 24, 2025