Lee Fong Thao

Lee Fong Thao passed away on Wednesday, August 1, 2018, at UW Hospital, with his family and relatives by his side. He is survived by his wife, Chia; children, Ying, Joey, Tommy, Sonny, Bobay, Mai See, and Jerry; and ten grandchildren. Lee Fong was born in Laos, in the year of 1944. He proudly served as a soldier who fought in the Secret War from 1961 to 1975, for the U.S., during the Vietnam War. At the end of the Vietnam War, Lee Fong and his family were displaced for years as they fled persecution for his involvement in the war. They finally attained refuge when they escaped to the refugee camps of Thailand and migrated to the U.S. in 1980. Lee Fong and his family first settled in Kankakee, Illinois, where he attended a community college to earn certificates in machine tooling and welding. His trade skills led him to obtaining work in Oklahoma, where he and his family lived before finally settling in Madison, Wisconsin. Lee Fong was an extremely creative and skilled builder. He designed and crafted wooden chairs, metal standing dust pans, plastic weaved baskets, and so much more from blueprints and ideas that lived in his innovative mind. Lee Fong’s rebel spirit, humorous ways, and tenacious drive will live on in the memories his loved ones. Funeral services will be held at Gunderson Oregon, 1150 Park Street, Oregon, WI, 53575 from Friday, August 31, 2018 to Monday, September 3, 2018.