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SOMPHEAP SEM Obituary
SOMPHEAP SEM
On Sunday, October 6, 2013; Sompheap Sem of Potomac, MD passed away peacefully at the age of 58. Beloved husband of Laurene Scanlon DDS; devoted father of Olivia Sem; brother of Phala (Andre) Pellissier, Pheary Sem and Phally (Pat) Buddock. Also survived by his mother Dep Tan Long. He will be missed by his beloved dogs Charlie and Sydney. Relatives and friends are invited to call at Joseph Gawler's Sons, 5130 Wisconsin Ave. NW (corner of Harrison St.) Washington, DC on Friday, October 11, 2013 from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Services will be held at Joseph Gawler's on Saturday, October 12, 2013 at 8:30 a.m. Interment Rock Creek Cemetery, Washington, DC. Memorial donations may be made to Montgomery County Partners for Animal Well-Being, 9613 Eldwick Way, Potomac, MD 20854.
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Memories and Condolences
for SOMPHEAP SEM
Sponsored by Phala Som SEM-PELLISSIER, his sister.
Phally Budock
July 17, 2018
Happy summertime, dearest Pheap,
It's been a while since our last chat here. You're probably thinking the same and waiting to hear from me. Have lots of insightful things to share with you but decided to wait a while till I can express them more deeply. So just wanted to check in with you for a moment of visit.
So what's new here? Well, I can tell you that Portugal didn't make it to the World Cup final. Mom was hoping her team Portugal would pull through to the final. That's alright though, we got France to cheer for as they went to the final with Croatia and won the game this past Sunday. Congratulations to team France! Best of luck was extended to both teams!
And how about those Caps, huh! I haven't been a big fan of hockey but that first Stanley Cup win for the Washington Capitals last month still leaves the spirit of victory all around the DC area.
It's summertime here and the landscape couldn't be more vibrant all around. My backyard seems to have turned into an animal sanctuary. From wild rabbits to foxes to deer make their way there to rest by their own invitation. Maybe it's my grilling food outside that got their attention to come gather around. At Mom's we have been celebrating the joy of summer just about every weekend. Everyone there has become like family. They look
to Mom to pray for them every time she goes to church. And Mom couldn't be more dedicated to doing so. After all, it's been her specialty all along, doing the most important will of God - prayer.
We are always thinking of you as we continue celebrating life here on earth in connection with heaven. Miss you and love you dearly. Will keep in touch again soon.
XOXO,
Phally
December 25, 2017
Joyous greetings, Pheap,
On the day of this Christmas 2017, we attended Mom's home church, St. Jane de Chantal, to listen to and to receive and remember the Word of inspiration. Here are two Bible readings to remind us how blessed we are to be in the very Presence of the Lord Jesus Christ, whether we are on earth or on high:
--Reading from book of Hebrews 1:1-6
Brothers and sisters: In times past, God spoke in partial and various ways to our ancestors through the prophets; in these last days, He has spoken to us through the Son, Whom He made Heir of all things and through Whom He created the universe, Who is the refulgence of His glory, the very imprint of His being, and Who sustains all things by His mighty word. When He had accomplished purification (by sacrificial death and glorified resurrection) from sins, He took His seat at the right hand of the Majesty (the Father) on high, as far superior to the angels as the name He has inherited is more excellent than theirs. For to which of the angels did God ever say: You are My Son; this day I have begotten you? Or again: I will be a Father to Him, and He shall be a Son to Me? And again, when He leads the firstborn into the world, He says: Let all the angels of God worship Him.
--Gospel reading from book of John 1: 1-18
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came to be through Him, and without Him nothing came to be. What came to be through Him was Life, and this Life was the Light of the human race; the Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome the Light. A man named John (John The Baptist) was sent from God. He came for testimony, to testify to the Light, so that all might believe through him. He was not the Light, but came to testify to the Light. The true Light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world came to be through Him, but the world did not recognize or know Him. He came to what was His own, but His own people did not accept Him. But to those who did accept Him He gave power to become children of God, to those who believe in His name (Jesus Christ), who were born not by natural generation nor by human choice nor by a man's decision but of God. And the Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us, and we saw His glory, the glory as of the Father's only Son, full of grace and truth. John testified to Him and cried out, saying: This is He of Whom I said, The One Who is coming after me ranks ahead of me because He existed before me.' From His fullness we have all received, grace in place of grace, because while the Law was given through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God. The only Son, God, Who is at the Father's side, has revealed Him.
Merry Christmas to all!
Joyous wishes,
Phally
November 23, 2017
Happy Thanksgiving, Pheap!
It's that time again for another celebration:-) It is so great to have a holiday that reminds people to give thanks. Sometimes it's easy to forget to be grateful for the little things in life that mean so much. The power of gratitude sure works wonder. This is a testimony of why I am so grateful for our great-loving family because we give thanks from the heart for which blessings would not return to us void from the Lord.
It is interesting to learn how Thanksgiving became an official national holiday to be celebrated in November here in the US. It was Sarah Josepha Hale, author of well-known nursery rhyme Mary Had A Little Lamb (referring to Lamb of God -- Jesus Christ), who launched a campaign followed by published editorials and continuous letters sent to legislators that finally after 36 years prompted Abraham Lincoln to accept her request and establish a national Thanksgiving holiday, which came at the height of the Civil War when all Americans were encouraged to ask God to help them tender care to widows, orphans, mourners and sufferers in civil strife and to heal the wounds of the nation.
There is always something to be thankful for, even in the midst of adversity when people are called to unite and to be reminded how grateful we ought to be to God for all He has done, does, and continue to do for us. It reminds me of why this country had become the strongest and most powerful country in the world because in God we trust, and because we each have the opportunity to know and accept Him personally by His name Jesus as our Savior for Him to transform each one of us to the utmost worthy person He created us to be as who we really are, perfect in His eyes. It's no wonder Thomas Jefferson adapted the Lord's infallible teaching into his writing of The Jefferson Bible for himself to use as a guide to help create strong government and free society. And because of such unshakable faith that created such orderly freedom, it's no wonder America became a big melting pot of people from all walks of life eager to make their journey over to find freedom, like our family did. And the main purpose of our journey was not of special priviledge to come and indulge in paradise without purpose, but rather for opportunity to know and to receive the Source of freedom (Holy Spirit of God) so that we may further share that Source with people of our own heritage and beyond who are willing to receive that divine power Source to pass on the share across the globe.
You know I have come to really enjoy writing about the Lord and sharing Him with people because of how gracious and merciful His is, now that I have come to really know Him. He's everything every person needs in order to live life on purpose. Jesus is for sure the way, the truth, and the life as He had claimed to be. I say this with conviction, rather than out of preference, because of my witness of His amazing divine power of healing I'd experienced over the years. Not only had He healed my soul from the effects of trials and tribulation of life circumstances, including my grieving over your and Chivy's departure to higher freedom, but He physically healed my dislocated lumbar spine last year that I was enduring for nearly a year. When nothing else could treat the pain without major surgery, He came through for me after my seeking Him with fervent prayers for help so I could be healed and be able to continue to help care for Mom. It's no wonder He makes miracle happen when there's purpose, and indeed He saw my purpose of caring for Mom. Thank God He dodged surgery for me, even the one that would have taken two days to perform as recommended by one surgeon. Endless gratitude to the Lord Jesus Christ for that abrupt and intense fall on the foyers steps that did nothing to harm me but only knocked my dislocated spinal discs back into place on that Saturday, 13 August 2016!
More amazing is His divine power healing Mom from heartaches and emotional distress that carried on for many year from having lost Dad and many of our siblings to atrocity and starvation during Cambodia's own civil war back in the mid 70's. Out of the midst of adversity, her soul is healed because of her uncompromising faith in God. When everything else fails, Jesus prevails. That's why He is our family personal Therapist and Head of Household.
Utmost gratitude to the Lord for His ever prevailing perspective that gives us hope for an amazing bright future. Blessed be His name - Jesus!
Forever thankful,
Phally
--O Praise the Lord, all you nations! Praise Him, all you people! (Rom. 15:11);
--For His mercy and loving-kindness are great toward us, and the truth and faithfulness of the Lord endure forever. Praise the Lord! (Psalm 117:2)
--O Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever! (Psalm 118:1)
November 20, 2017
Happy Birthday, Pheap!
It's a beautiful, blessed day today, and every day, to be alive. Life is good indeed because God is good, and we all are blessed with life because He is life itself that is in us and we are in Him -- hence, we are One. As Scripture says in Psalm 16:8-11, You have made known to me the ways of life; You will enrapture me (diffusing my soul with joy) with and in Your presence.
Our bodily form may decay or change into a renewed/new one but our soul/spirit forever lives. So there's no loss but only love -- that's life in a nutshell.
Cheers to life!
Phally
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October 31, 2017
Cheers Pheap,
Today, October 31, 2017, marks 500 years since Professor/Theologian Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses on the door of Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany, that started the Protestant Reformation, which I'm sure you know. What a milestone!
It's this kind of courage and enlightened mind like Martin Luther's that helped awaken the minds of others to understanding beyond fixed thinking that suppressed freedom of conscience for building stronger, more peaceful society.
This got me thinking of few other enlightened and humanitarian contributors in history whose theories and practices helped break barriers of ignorance for progressive society:
--Siddhartha Gautama (Budhha the awakened one), 500's BC learned self enlightenment and law of natural (God's law for humanity) through meditation and taught his followers the nature of life karma (action yields outcome).
--Roger Williams, 1600's early US settler who expanded further on the ideal of Martin Luther to include freedom of church worship in the US from traditional doctrinal practice to individual liberty of conscience without government involvement.
--John Locke, 1600's implemented ideal of social agreement to protect man's natural right in the liberty of conscience.
--Jean-Jacques Rousseau, 1700's sought for ideal of liberty of conscience not in fixed religious doctrine and for civil order with understanding natural law.
--Thomas Jefferson, 1700's incorporated ideals from enlightened thinkers such as John Locke, Francis Bacon, and Isaac Newton into the US Declaration of Independence, as well as passing on those ideals into writing the US Constitution.
--Mary Wollstonecraft, 1700's known for her best work in reasoning that women as well as men should be treated as conscientious, rational beings.
--Clara Barton, 1800's founded American Red Cross for providing humanitarian aid around the world to those suffering from disasters and warfare.
--Martin Luther King, Jr., 1960's led Civil Rights Movement to end racial segregation in the US.
While great human efforts of the above-listed men and women helped shed light tremendously throughout various parts of the world, we can certainly be sure that the brightest light that ever shined and never goes dim is the Light Himself, Jesus Christ the first Man ever to liberate men AND women since His time on earth ~2,000 years ago. Praise God!
Rest in peace in His light, my dear brother:-)
Peace always,
Phally
Phala PELLISSIER
October 1, 2017
Cher Sompheap,
Déjà 4 ans que tu es parti pour rejoindre notre Seigneur Dieu. Toute la famille pense à toi et repose toi en paix. Je ne rejette jamais ceux qui viennent à moi St Jean.
Phala
September 20, 2017
The Father's Love (Grace): In Honor of God and Godly Parents & Children Everywhere
Love. There is none above it. It is the Holy Spirit of Almighty God in the Lord Jesus Christ that lives forever.
Dearest Pheap,
I'm so excited to be returning at this time to chat with you about the good news (The Gospel) of God's grace. This makes every moment a celebration because of the precious gift of life that God has created for us all to experience and to rejoice in Him. So in celebration of life on earth as also in heaven with deep gratitude to the Lord, happy day to you and Dad and to all other wonderful parents, like Mom, who have ever lived. Above all, we must always recognize and honor our heavenly Father God in the name Jesus Christ whose Holy Spirit is true love that binds us all as family wherever we are. When it comes to love we can be sure that it is our family trademark that lives in our hearts and souls. And with God's amazing grace, we rejoice in honoring the Lord for He is our ultimate Parent of all parents and children of God. This is family love that extends to every soul, like yours and mine, that seeks and honors it. For this, it is always wonderful to connect with you heart to heart with message of deep healing to share with every seeking soul.
It is so nice to know that we can still meet up and chat like we used to, except now we are more aware and are able to chat more freely and share with each other about the importance of recognizing and accepting/honoring God as the anchor of our souls. This Guestbook is a blessing for sharing such conversations and revelations. I can still recall how we used to meet up at Mom's especially on Sundays around football season and just be free to express our deep thoughts with one another, while at the same time enjoying watching football games on TV with Mom like we used to do as family since the early 80's. It makes me smile when I think of how comfortable we can be in conversing with one another about almost any topic. We even talked about taking yoga class together. Although we never got to it, I never thought you would ever agree to practicing such thing. That latter part of 2012 was such precious time spent between us because we got to touch on subjects that were hard for us to talk about before ie, loss of our family members in Khmer Rouge regime. Thank you always for the comfort and openness of our chats. Beyond our comfort to one another, the ultimate comfort as we know is the grace of God. In life, knowing that we are loved is the ultimate comfort that heals the soul. With that gift of knowing, I'm happy to share with you what I've realized about the grace of God and what a blessing it is for every person to be willing to receive it. So please note how well you think I am explaining this, now that you have total freedom from the flesh to be able to understand the truth of God in every respect.
Grace It is that divine kindness and unmerited love of God that makes life so meaningful and worthwhile because we are always loved by Him despite our imperfection. This kind of love cannot be earned because it is a gift that is available to anyone who will receive it. That's why I am so excited and honored to be sharing this good news and to express how grateful I am to have received it. Growing up, had I understood in depth the gift of The Gospel (good news) of Jesus Christ, I would have been more conscientious to share this good news with everyone I knew. Moreover, I would have been so eager to write book reports about this precious gift as part of my school assignment, because not only would it be an inspiring message of hope but also a remarkable lesson from history that every teacher and student can learn from and apply to everyday living to help make significant difference in the world, not to mention you would have really enjoyed reviewing that part of my school assignment like you used to do with all my school assignments back then. Now is a new chapter in my life that I couldn't have been more prompted to express how beautiful life is just by simply knowing that we have a Savior. I'm sure you can vouch what I'm saying as I do believe that you can now easily see and understand beyond human flesh. So while this is not a book report I'm writing but rather a connection of conversations between us, I hope every message I write here will encourage, empower, and inspire all readers as intended in a way that all will come to know God not just know about Him, as written in His Holy Bible, and how loving, kind, and generous He is to every one of us as we experience our relationship with Him. Knowing the one true God indeed is the main course of every person's life for overcoming trials and tribulations that exist in this world, because God is in the business of delivering people who trust in Him even when we don't deserve it. So why then would He deliver us if we don't deserve it? Because He loves us, like how a parent loves his/her children but dislikes their disobedient behavior.
To know God is to experience love through the giving of it. This we know that education and experience go hand in hand. While education is key in our family life, the reaping benefits of it are so worthwhile because education serves purpose that benefits others beyond ourselves. Indeed our parents had done amazing job demonstrating before us and educating us by example that faith in God is the heart and soul of connecting people through love. In our family household growing up, Dad's focus on formal education for us and Mom's teaching us discipline and etiquette were aimed to build our character based on principles and values that came straight from the heart of our godly parents whose love for us had shown through their actions. In terms of education, the one endearing subject that's always worth knowing to us is love, because it is love that heals our souls and connects us as family beyond time. And while love overrides time, it opens up many channels for us to communicate with each other in sharing good news. This Guestbook indeed is one of those channels of communication that enables us to share our joy with one another and with everyone else whom we can reach beyond restriction of time in this world. Thanks be to God for making this possible. Also thanks to our dear sister Phala for helping maintain this Guestbook beyond the typical one-year timeframe for online display. And with open heart and open mind, I am happy beyond words to be able to write you to share among us good news of this timeless subject called love which I am blessed to have known, as well as received unconditionally. So let us rejoice in our interactive pondering and sharing of the good news inspired by the word of God written in His Holy Bible
**What is love, one might ask?
--Love is spirit of compassion that endures sacrificing of oneself for others. This is true by example of Jesus Christ when He came to earth ~2,000 years ago to fulfill His mission. The ultimate act of love, of course, resonated through the supreme sacrifice which Jesus perfected on the cross at Calvary to redeem the world from the detriment of sin when faith is placed in the resurrected Jesus Christ and His finished work at the cross. While no human being should ever have to sacrifice in such torture that Jesus did, each one of us is supposed to help bear each other's pain by helping lead one another to recognize and accept the Lord Jesus Christ as personal Savior for revelation of the truth about life that sets each of us free from the bondage of sin influenced by the flesh, which is quick in steering the mind into thinking out of alignment with the divine mind of God and His purpose and will for every person. This spiritual cleansing and freedom made possible by the almighty power of God that resurrected Jesus three days after His sacrificial death, which proclaimed Him as Christ (Messiah/Anointed One) because of His sinless living on earth and His infallible teaching of the word of God that made Him perfect in the eyes of God His heavenly Father. Jesus's resurrection from death and ascension into heaven offers everyone hope and opportunity to seek personal relationship with Him in building the kingdom of God, as His Holy Spirit works to transform and to sanctify every seeker so to lighten the burden of life circumstances brought on by the effect of the sin nature of humanity, in order to fulfill God's calling that He has for every person He created.
**What is the sin nature and how did it come to affect / infect life?
--Sin existed opposite of God and His character before earth was created by God. Since the beginning of time on earth, said to be about 6,000 years ago, God's will for humanity was everlasting life lived in paradise full of peace, joy, harmony, and abundance. But when the first human couple Adam and Eve, whom God created from dust and breathed into life with His breath, disobeyed God's instruction that was given to Adam to not eat the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil for in the day he (with Eve) ate from it they shall surely die, they became guilty and separated from God. Their guilt that resulted from disobedience (sin) to God suddenly made them afraid of God and feel ashamed of being exposed in their own bare skin such that they decided to cover their bodies with leaves to try to hide from God. Despite their disobedience, God still loved Adam and Eve and He even made them clothes out of animal skin to cover their bodies that they were so ashamed to bare. The consequences of their sin (disobedience) put them at odds (1) with nature, (2) with each other, (3) with God, and (4) put their children at odds with each other (Cain hating and killing his brother Abel because Abel was regarded by God for his obedience and generous offering to God). From then on, every human being was born inheriting the sin nature of Adam and Eve that eventually resulted in mortality. In other words, the wage for sin is death, which went against God's will of everlasting life for humanity.
--Over time God observed how wicked human beings had become by the weakness of their flesh, which caused their minds to think away from God as they chose to live selfishly by their own freewill. This separation between human's carnal state of being and God's spiritual state of being made it challenging for mankind to experience total peace of mind because without ongoing spiritual support active on the inside of one's being, all that is seen on the outside is an empty shell that covers up the lack thereof on the inside. And because God gave everyone freewill (choice) to either abide by His word or reject it, He will not force His will onto anyone but only makes available to everyone His teaching that has the power to save anyone from eternal spiritual death. As generation after generation had passed on after Adam and Eve, the sin nature became more and more active in people's lives which steered them into engaging in activities that were not pleasing to God and thus went against the law of nature (aka natural law, universal law, or law of cause and effect as taught by the Buddha with respect to impersonal process of karma) which He put in place for humanity to be conscientious of. So in order for people to receive God's forgiveness of committed sins in those ancient days, a sacrificial offering had to be performed ANNUALLY by a high priest such that blood of a flawless/unblemished lamb or another animal had to be shed, until Jesus came along.
**Moving forward to Jesus
--Because of the generational curse that originated from Adam and Eve and because God so still loved the world, He sent His only begotten Son Jesus into the world to fulfill one ultimate sacrifice to pay in full the debt of sin of humanity. Jesus was born fully God and fully living as man in order to experience the life of humanity without bearing to sinful temptations. And because He was conceived by the Holy Spirit of God the Father and was born to a virgin human being, called Mother Mary or The Virgin Mary, Jesus was perfect/undefiled and able to live sinless life on earth by being fully obedient to God, His higher and almighty Self. For that, God (the Father) accepted Jesus (Son of God) as a perfect sacrifice for bearing all sins of humanity onto Himself in exchange for God's His Holy Spirit working through each person who accepts Him (Jesus) as Savior to transform that person's life for purposeful and fruitful living according to His teaching of the good news, called The Gospel as written in the New Testament of the Bible. He defeated death by resurrection. This good news of undying, sacrificial love of God is so worthwhile to share with everyone in the world how necessary it is to have relationship and fellowship with Jesus Christ in order to build that peaceful, fulfilling kingdom of God on earth, as also in heaven. This is God's grace that forever forgives past, present, and future sins of any person who accepts Jesus Christ for transformation of his/her life to that which is non-condemning and is rich with access to divine energy (Holy Spirit) that heals the soul.
Now that you are high up in the spiritual realm, it must be indescribably transparent to you how everything in life actually works in an instance resulting from the past, the present, and into the future. It took me a long time growing up to realize that love was actually a spirit (a choice or a decision) that lifted and healed the soul rather than a feeling that came and went. I now realize that sometimes love is demonstrated in a way that guides and teaches us to mature and grow spiritually through trials and tribulations, without us even realizing until later down the road of our life journey. This I've learned through experience that such is true because of the choices of our human freewill and the will of God that determine the effect of life on earth. Just like any loving parent, God is a loving Father Who wants the best for His children by always seeking to connect with us, while at the same time He gives us a choice to either connect back with Him through Christ in relationship and for oversight and protection of our lives or go about our own way through life without involving Him. Some people completely ignore the existence of God or think it's hard to abide by His word, like how a disobedient child would choose to do whatever he/she wants without regard to his/her parent's wise instructions. All of us no doubt couldn't avoid experiencing varied degree of disobedience during our lifetime due to the stubbornness of our human flesh that tends to steer our mind into thinking whatever way we want to think or believe even when it deviates from the actual truth God's truth. In our family, thank God for Mom and her godly teaching that was always so prompt to put us in our place and discipline us whenever we stepped out of line. The choice of being disobedience to godly teaching often ends in regretful consequences because of the person's own freewill as tempted by worldly view that is not the view of God, which reveals His truth. Despite it all, the imperfection of every person in the world makes it very necessary for Christ to be sought for protection from harmful effects of worldly sins guilt, shame, rage, greed, lust, fear, deception, depression, condemnation, violence, just to name a few
Thank God for His grace, which again is that unconditional or undeserved/unmerited love that cannot be earned but it is a gift to everyone who will receive it and wants to be saved from the detriment of worldly sin that is active in everyday life. Human effort can only bear but so much because of the weakness of our own flesh that needs divine energy of God to strengthen us in our body, mind, and spirit. Repentance of sins to God in prayer with acknowledgement and acceptance of Jesus Christ (God in the flesh) as Lord and Savior yields God's forgiveness of sins and gives salvation to every believer for purposeful and fruitful living while on earth, as well as eternal life to be lived in heaven. This is how God activates His Holy Spirit (divine energy) to indwell a person for transformation of his/her soul and to strengthen the person's spirit which enables that person to have peace of mind for purposeful and fruitful living according to His will and plan for him/her, which is always greater and utmost fulfilling than the person's own plan or self-set purpose because no person can see everything outside of our own being with our naked eyes. The unmatched benefit of having fellowship with God is the enjoyment of outrageous divine freedom made possible by simply obeying and surrendering to the Lord. I can surely say that when it came to obedience, you were one of those people (alongside Mom and Chivy) whom I observed to be very obedient to the Lord and His will for you. It humbles me every time I reflect back to how you humbly and graciously surrendered to God's will and letting Him decide for you on the day before the day of your departure, even when you had heard a voice whispering in your ear offering you choices whether to stay or go. You could have chosen to stay but you did not choose in vain, instead you trusted the Lord with His decision for you by simply responding to Him, Okay God. And now you are on top of the world being cared for by the best Hand that saved you from this sinful world. So while many of us may be missing your physical presence and companionship dearly as we continue our mission here on earth, I could see with my heart how happy and free you are as can be, traveling and enjoying everywhere you can possibly be in an instant. Please give the Lord and our loved ones who are with Him huge hugs for Mom and me, and the rest of us here, will you?
**Who is God, a curious person might ask? Here are brief key points I've realized:
--God is love within a relationship of a compound unit, consisting of God the Father (omniscient mind), God the Son Jesus (indestructible resurrected body), and God the Holy Spirit (divine energy) which form the Holy Trinity operating inseparable as Family of one true and compassionate God of the highest power. To explain compound unit, consider an egg for example. In order for it to be a whole egg it must consist of shell, white, and yoke. In terms of God, He is the person Jesus Christ Who is omniscient (all-knowing), omnipotent (all-powerful), and omnipresent (everywhere-existent).
--He is the Creator of the universe, of the heavens and the earth.
--He is our spiritual Father Who gives life.
**What is the significance of accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior? When you accept Jesus for the sacrifice of His undefiled blood,
--you are honoring and worshipping the one true God
--you are cleansed and forgiven of all sins (iniquities and transgressions of God's Commandments)
--you are transformed in the mind which allows you to connect from the heart with God and His wisdom for understanding and revelation of His truth, and His truth shall set you free from the bondage of sin
--you are led and guided by the Holy Spirit to live by faith and obedience in fulfilling your life purpose
--you have constant companion of Christ as your faith in God grows
-- you are sealed with protection and are guaranteed eternal life in heaven with Him and with loved ones who had accepted Him
**What is the purpose of life?
-- There are two common things that any person can easily get enticed by and think they are the measure of life success:
1. materialism personal possessions
2. materiality magnitude of personal possessions
--The true purpose of life is to know God in Jesus Christ because He is love and we all were born and wired to love and be loved, and to deliberately dream for a purpose to fulfill according to His plan for each of us. All possessions are God's. Fulfilling dreams are blessings we don't own but we are to manage them. God provides for humanity's need, rather than for humanity's greed. Humans are mere tourists on earth for the time being. We came with no personal possession and we leave with none, but what we leave after us makes a difference in our contribution toward helping build the new earth (heaven on earth). God made mankind in His own image so that we can have life without calamities but with abundance, peace, joy, and harmony with Him and with one another. This is that intrinsic spiritual fulfillment that sustains life while enjoying added blessings of materialism and materiality owned by the Lord. Spiritual fulfillment comes from obeying the word of God that makes a person righteous by His standard, not by having significant degree of intellect i.e., not even with having triple PhDs and graduated summa cum laude from the most prestigious university would make a person righteous in God's eyes, because God already knows everything so He is not impressed by our human level of knowledge. He is, however, moved by our faith in Him and our daily walk with Him and how we use our attained wisdom and knowledge. Godly living rests on two main principles emphasized by Jesus (see Mt. 22:37-39):
1. love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind (simple summary of first 4 of 10 Commandments of God); and
2. love your neighbor as yourself (simple summary of last 6 of 10 Commandments of God)
--As modeled by Jesus, He lived by one rule: obey God. In doing so, we are guided to have knowledge and wisdom to do God's will with passion.
**What is the meaning of the cross of Jesus Christ?
--The cross symbolizes the connection between heaven and earth that is, relationship between God and human beings. The vertical part of the cross represents a staircase going up to and coming down from heaven, while the horizontal part represents earth where heaven intersects right in the middle to connect at the heart. Because God is love and love is spirit of the heart, the intersection of the cross lays God's grace (unmerited love or favor). Thus, the heart of The Gospel is grace, forgiveness, and hope for the soul.
**The power of education when it is used, not abused:
--integrates people
--sets aside prejudice
--supports one's life purpose/mission
--shrinks ignorance and selfishness/ego
--promotes wisdom
Well, that's all I have to share today. Will chat again soon. Enjoy your many traveling. I love you:)
Forever love,
Phally
December 25, 2016
Happy Birthday and Supreme Gratitude to Lord Jesus Christ - our Father God in flesh and in Holy Spirit!
Greetings Pheap,
To everyone, Merry Christmas! Or, in other words, Happy Holidays! (Holiday is said to have derived from the words Holy Day.) Everyday ought to be like Christmas because it celebrates the spirit and joy of giving, from the heart. Some of Christmas greatest gifts that I either have given or received are: expressions of gratitude, offering of peace, cheerful smiles, comforting hugs, healing laughs, extension of blessings. Along with any of these gifts you know that one of my favorite gifts to give is my hand-made plush heart ornaments, which Mom taught me how to make when I was 11 years old.
In spiritual sense, Christmas has been the core thanksgiving of our family roots. If you were to ask me to write a book report about Christmas to share its meaning, I would introduce it in the context of the following three main purposes surrounding personal experiences and studies of the Bible (basic instructions before leaving earth):
1) God's birthday celebration. Why? Because:
a) God is the Creator of the universe and our Heavenly Father Who loves us and came to earth to be with us, hence one of His many names
Immanuel/Emmanuel means God with us (Isa. 7:14/Mt. 1:23)
b) He came (begotten not made)
as a baby in human form to live and experience life and to relate to us.
c) He is for us; He came to love, heal, and forgive and to teach us to do the same for one another as
individuals, as families, and as nations
d) Can't have joy in Christmas
without worshipping Christ, because Christmas represents union with family (of God)
2) Salvation/Savior [which is the meaning of His birth name Jesus (Mt. 1:21)]
a) Jesus came into the world in perfect human being to suffer and to die on the Cross as sacrifice for the sin nature of humanity, to save us from
the detriment of sins - this means freedom from fear of death, from guilt of sin/flesh , etc - that is, to save us from trials and tribulations for security for a purpose (His purpose for
us, which is always greater than our own self-set purpose)
b) Salvation kicks in when we
exhausted our effort to save ourselves
c) His resurrection gives us
eternal life; He is the light that reveals the Truth aboutlife
3) Reconciliation
a) Restoration of peace with God, then peace with others
b) Focuses on the person whose
relationship with the living God Jesus Christ has been sought wholeheartedly
c) Don't wait till you have resolution with others before you have reconciliation with God for attainment of peace for your heart and your soul
soul is the mind, as in peace of mind).
The outline here is expandable, of course, to include relatable life experiences and Bible teachings. The ultimate purpose of Christmas is for people to build relationship with one another in order to help build the Kingdom of God on earth as also in heaven by sustaining the connection between Man/Woman and God (Mind/Holy Spirit of living God) through the intercession of Jesus Christ (living God in human flesh). On that note, I shall return later to share more insights on the grace of God as I realize. Meanwhile, any interested or curious person can get to know Who God is through Jesus Christ by tuning in to some great biblical-preaching programs aired on the following cable TV networks: TBN, Sonlife, 3ABN, Word, Daystar, and Hillsong.
In the spirit of Christmas, my hope is for everyone in the world and every soul in the universe to have a bright and united New Year 2017 and beyond.
Cheers & God bless,
Phally
November 24, 2016
My Dearest Pheap,
There are so much to be thankful for. When it comes to expressing gratitude I have a book report of thankful expressions and thoughts to share with you. Before I come back to that, let us give praise and endless thanks to the Almighty God in the name Jesus Christ for everything that He is and stands for - our gracious heavenly Father in flesh and in Holy Spirit.
Happy Thanksgiving, and may we all always be in His light rejoicing in His glory:-)
Forever love,
Phally
November 24, 2016
Psalm 92:1-5
October 8, 2016
May God bless you and your family in this time of sorrow.
Phala PELLISSIER
October 6, 2016
With each Autumn, the trees are stripped their sheets which are swept by the breath of the wind.
At each spring, a new life starts again. Our life is an eternal restarting. Some share, we are always bound by our thought. We are so far and so near to each other but we are always guided consequently light.
Well with you Sompheap
Phala SEM PELLISSIER
FRANCE
Phala PELLISSIER
October 6, 2016
With each Autumn, the trees are stripped their sheets which are swept by the breath of the wind.
At each spring, a new life starts again. Our life is an eternal restarting. Some share, we are always bound by our thought. We are so far and so near to each other but we are always guided consequently light.
Well with you Sompheap
Phala SEM PELLISSIER
Phala PELLISSIER
October 6, 2016
With each Autumn, the trees are stripped their sheets which are swept by the breath of the wind.
At each spring, a new life starts again. Our life is an eternal restarting. Some share, we are always bound by our thought. We are so far and so near to each other but we are always guided consequently light.
Well with you Sompheap
Phala SEM PELLISSIER
March 27, 2016
Dear Pheap,
Today is Easter holiday celebration. It is my great joy to acknowledge Easter as being one of the greatest holidays that commemorates the Lord Jesus Christ the undying love & light that lifts our spirits and forgives humankind for our worldly flaws, through our relationship with Him. Thanks be to God.
May your resting place in the light of the Lord spread light throughout the physical and spiritual worlds.
Happy Easter.
Love & God bless,
Phally
March 27, 2016
Phala SEM PELLISSIER
January 3, 2016
Nous pensons à toi et te souhaitons une Heureuse Année 2016 et que ton âme se repose en paix dans la maison du seigneur. Tu es toujours dans notre cur et rien ne peut nous séparer. le bébé de Céline et Damien arrivera dans une dizaine de jour. Il aura comme 3ème prénom SOmpheap.
Affectueusement
Phala & Andr& Céline & Damien & Bébé*
January 1, 2016
Happy New Year's Greetings, Pheap,
Thank you for helping make 2015 a year of continuing support for our family. You always come through for us with our thoughts of you. This makes me realize that you must be having a very comfortable and fulfilling mission from the spiritual world, since you are no longer restricted by physical form and I imagine you are now able to easily and quickly see and respond to everything for what it truly is - from feelings to thoughts to actions. Please do continue to provide us your support of enlightenment and guidance for things that may not be so quick and easy for most of us here, as humans, to realize.
Here are my highlights of 2015:
1) Mom turned 90 years young. I think Mom might have similar case of Benjamin Button because she has become more and more gracious and young-at-heart as she ages, and she is so peaceful and happy. Being around her and caring for her feels so fulfilling to me and makes me realize how easy it is to reciprocate love...you know...give love and love shall be received. It's a feeling that I find utmost superior, because with love it lasts. So here's a poem I wrote to Mom for her 90th birthday:
-Mother, Mother, you are my loving significant other
-Since I was born you always kept me warm
-My love for you will never be torn
-Your care for me is incredible I see
-Your true gift of concern asks for nothing in return
-This is how your respect is humbly earned
-Now at age ninety you are like my baby to me
-I care for you like you had cared for me
-May God continue to bless you with gracious longevity
2) The visit of Pope Francis in the US was deeply electrifying with hope, peace, and joy. I instantly connected with this Pope as though I had known him all my life, just by watching him on TV speaking from the heart to all people. His messages to people (of all faiths) were true in all respects about human life and how love is unsurpassed because it unites people as families under one God.
3) More wonderful brothers & sisters gathered! What's so reinforcing to me, especially after having observed the words of Pope Francis, is that siblings with direct kin (like you & I) can be as connected and united with one another as we can be with siblings from many other direct kins. All it takes is understanding and accepting one another as unique individuals each born with contractual life purpose, and that is, to learn. Life is like going to school. You can either pass, fail, or re-take the course. I'm happy to have gotten connected with more wonderful brothers and sisters whom I adore just as much as I adore our own direct siblings and from whom I can sure learn a lot more about life itself.
So these are my 2015 highlights, together with always living a cheerful life. This confirms to me that where you go to school does not make you who you are as a person. It's all about how you use what you learn in life that enriches your mind, body & spirit and, later in the afterlife, allows your spirit that relatively great magnitude of power to make other things possible, just like I believe you, as well as Chivy & Dad among others, have that blessed magnitude of power to still help support our families and shape the world to be a better place for humankind.
For the New Year of 2016, and forward, I wish for all meaningful goodness of life and beyond, and to start celebrating Mom's 91st birthday everyday this year:-)
Forever love,
Phally
January 1, 2016
Mt. 25: 37-40
November 20, 2015
Hi Pheap,
Happy birthday my angel brother in heaven. You never stop caring and giving love. Thank you for leading me to such beautiful, genuine, fun-loving angels here on Earth. I'm having a time of my life with them, especially making music. Remember, that and dancing were something you lectured me about as a kid in terms of career choice, when my young, foolish mind kept steering me that way. Well you were always wise. Thank you for postponing that for me and now for making it much more worthwhile for me to enjoy as a hobby. More than that, you found me these wonderful brothers and sisters and you sent them my way for me to be in their good company, while you and Chivy continue to look after our family here from above. I can't thank you enough.
Talk to you later.
Forever love,
Phally
November 27, 2014
Utmost gratitude to the Almighty God for protecting us and blessing us with insightful life experiences, and for providing Pheap a peaceful place in Paradise with Him.
Phally
November 27, 2014
dara tan
November 22, 2014
Hello Lok Pu:
First of all, I would like to say thank you and that I miss your gentle smile and soft spoken...It is time of the year again when I sit back to reflect and give thanks to those who made contribution to my life success. Each year and every year, I thank you for your support and sponsorship to the U.S, your generosity, work ethic, integrity, loyalty and admirable character that inspire me to live life with those guiding values. For that I am grateful and blessed to have known you. It seems like yesterday when we celebrated your birthday as a family in your home. A memory that has engraved in my heart, always! Happy Thanksgiving Lok Pu!
Your nephew,
Dara Tan
"If your desire is for good, the people will be good." -Confucius
November 20, 2014
Hi Pheap,
One year ago on this day, your birthday, I contemplated having annual gathering around this time of the year to celebrate your success in life that many of us so admire and appreciate. Then I imagined to myself what you would say if I were to organize such event. Being a selfless soul that you are, you would tell me to proceed with the party but only to also recognize the many other extraordinary people whose role in life has led many of us to great accomplishments and opportunities. And with your humble advice, I would absolutely agree with you.
With Thanksgiving being around the corner this would also be a joyful time for us to share some expressions of gratitude extended to many of us who have impacted our lives in supportive and meaningful ways.
Dad, for one, as we know, deserves high honor and credit for his accomplishments. His hard work and sacrifices made in order to provide for us and to instill in us the importance of quality education - the kind that stretches beyond any degree taught at formal institutions; the kind that can be used in support of humanity as a whole - speak volumn of self and selfless purpose in life. The more I think about it, I've come to understand more about the fate of your success in life. Dad's (and Mom's) decision to send you abroad for educational studies in the US at age 19 was a decision that undoubtedly saved your life from the barbaric infliction era of the Khmer Rouge that took many lives including Dad's. The tradeoff of you being safe from harm here in the US was certainly a winning lottery ticket kind of outcome that later provided many of us refugee remainders opportunities to better our lives here in the US. In turn, you were rewarded with a fulfilling life through your own accomplishments. The kind of life that enabled you to see your joyous dreams come true, as Joe also commended. For this, let our endless gratitude be extended to Dad for playing huge role in your accomplishments and for being the guiding light to us all.
Another one is Chivy. Yes, our dear beloved sister who was so smart and very supportive to our family, yet so humble about her contributions. Like you, she was modest about receiving praise. What a genuine soul. She was a great support of our family. She was our right-hand advisor since at age 17 from post-war time till shortly before her passing in 2010. Her innate intelligence saw through many situations. Her fate in life, as I imagine, was to accompany Mom, Pheary and me to the US safely after the war. Her knowledge in English enabled her to act as your liason in helping with your sponsorship of us to the US. If it weren't for her, our journey to the US would not have been so organized and safe. Her reward, in turn, was a well respected education and life's peace of mind. They say that the good dies young. I believe that you and Chivy have other great purposes to fulfill elsewhere now that you both have sucessfully completed your tasks here. Thank you both for your endless love and support.
The all-worthy recognition of gratitude, of course, goes to our magnificent Mom. She is the Iron Lady whose backbone and every other part of her being still hold our family together even at the age of 89. She is the reason we all have stayed close in relationship, even when we may have lived apart from each other during our lifetime. Everything she has done for us is great, even with something that may seem small to others. Just like the bag of rice and salt that she packed for you to bring along on your trip to the US, as you shared your memory of this with Bong Sieng Tan last year. Rice in certain Asian culture sybolizes life, while salt is the support of life. In this respect, we can say that Mom was looking out for your life in every supporting way she possibly could. That's a mother's love for sure! She has saved my life three times during the war. If it weren't for Mom, Phala would not have been so anxious to leave to go live in France before the Khmer Rouge invasion of Cambodia, which could have caused Phala her life during such horrible regime had she not left for France. Mom's powerful strength and longevity continue to enforce great impacts on our family life in exceptionally meaningful way. I'm forever indebted to Mom with gratitude for her wisdom and unbias discipline instilled in us.
The list would go on. To sum it up, many thanks to all who wrote to you in this guestbook and the many others who have shown support that goes beyond saying. I look forward to any celebration of great cause to be taken place in more ways than one.
Thank you for this Guest Book to be a center of our sharing loving and positive, meaningful thoughts.
Happy Birthday to you & Happy Thanksgiving to all,
Phally Sem Budock
November 20, 2014
Larry Pacis
October 9, 2014
Sem,
It has been a year since your passing, but it seems that it was only yesterday that we both were at work and on weekends golf. What a life, especially when you and I retired form WB, no stress just simply relaxing. You are such a wonderful person, and speaks from his heart.
May your soul find peace with the LORD.
Pheary Sem
October 6, 2014
Pheap,
I looked at your picture last night and this morning again, still can't believe that you had gone for one year today. I miss you everyday, but I also know that you are in a better place. No matter where you are, your memories will remain always in my heart. You will always be loved and cherished by families and friends.
Your loving sister,
Pheary
Kolap Thomas
October 6, 2014
Bang, I can't thank you enough for all you did for our family! I think of you so often! I miss so much. I look at your pics every day... I love you so much!!!
October 6, 2014
Pheap,
Today marks your one-year farewell anniversary. Time flies, but my love for you remains constant. Changes in events and circumstances in life continue to occur as time moves on, as you can probably see every one of them from the enlightened spiritual world.
Since you've been gone I've been reflecting on cherishable times we all shared with you when you were here, especially during my childhood years when I got to spend time with you often - from my trying to teach you how to swim to your tutoring me in math. I have to admit, I didn't enjoy the latter so much. You were a tough teacher, but I seemed to learn better the hard way back then:-) You know I like to write, so please don't mind any typos or grammar errors I make as I express my thoughts to you in letters.
There are so many exciting things that I wish I could still sit and chat with you about. For one, you must be so proud to know that Olivia is participating in the upcoming 2014 TCS New York City Marathon to run 26.2 miles with the American Cancer Society in memory of you. She will do well for this great cause. We all are cheering for her.
Mom is doing well. She still believes me when I tell her that you are on missionary work abroad helping make positive differences in the world. I believe you are, in spirit. She said she's glad to know that you are following her and Dad's philanthropic footsteps from back in their days, though she misses watching football with you every Sunday at MCB around this time of the year. But no worries, Pheary pampers Mom like a baby, just like she pampered Olivia back in the days when she babysat Olivia. Mom really enjoyed her 89th birthday celebration in August with folks at MCB. More great parties for her to come.
With upcoming holidays there will be more exciting times to be enjoyed with family and friends, just as we will always share these moments with you in our hearts and minds. But today is one of the days we celebrate memories of you exclusively. Thank you again for all positive impacts you made and continue to make in our lives.
Yours truly,
Phally
PELLISSIER PHALA
October 5, 2014
Dear Sompheap,
It is already a year that you us free towards the Paradise, you remainders always in our heart. One day we all will be sets. Good road with you.
Phala, Andre, Celine PELLISSIER, 2O14/10/05, From FRANCE
January 9, 2014
Pheap,
If you are not yet ready to retire from more remarkable missions that next lives have to offer you, then this upcoming 100-day Buddhist ceremony held for you will lead you to a new life of being among the best of the best. I will always remember the day of your departure when you said to Laurene, Olivia, and me (and later Pheary when she arrived to see you), as we gathered at your besides, that we all were the best. We may have been the best to you, but you were the best of the best. Nirvana has always been a qualifiable place for you. I'm sure everyone who knew you will agree with that, especially after reading the following overview of the 100-day ceremony...
Overview of the 100-day Buddhist Ceremony:
In Buddhism, it is believed that death is not the end of life but is simply a process of rebirth. Only the body dies but not the spirit. The spirit finds a new body to born into a new life, and that new life depends entirely on Karma - the total effect of a person's positive and negative actions during previous life that determines the person's destiny. This life-and-death cycle can be ended by achieving Nirvana - the ultimate attainment of wisdom and compassion; freedom from ignorance and the extinction of all attachment; an ideal condition of rest, harmony, or joy; retirement from all sins, including anger, jealousy, resentment, and other negative feelings that may lead to negative actions.
In Terevada branch of Buddhism, as mainly practiced in such southeast Asian countries as Cambodia and Thailand, after a person passes the spirit lingers around for up to 100 days awaiting decision from "authority" - to reincarnate into the realm according to Karma acquired during previous life. It is believed that the spirit splits into two, one is to watch over family and the other is to move on to the next journey (i.e., rebirth). The purpose of this 100-day ceremony is to successfully lead the spirit onto the path of journey to the next mission that had been decided upon during 100 days of passing. The ceremony or celebration is, per se, an acceptance from loved ones for the spirit to move on freely and in peace and harmony. Therefore, along with the blessing from the monk(s), joy and happiness shared during this celebration is the cornerstone in leading the spirit on to a successful journey, as well as helping bring goodness / positiveness to the living.
Cheers!
Phally
January 2, 2014
Pheap,
I am very happy to have seen you in my dream two weeks ago for the very first time since you departed awaiting your next journey. Your visit in the dream felt surreal and reassuring to me that you are comfortable where you are now. While I do miss our one-on-one Sunday conversations during your shift change with me in caring for Mom, I am glad that I can still sense your warm and caring connection every time I think or speak of you.
I am also glad that this Guest Book is kept open permanently (thanks to our dear sister Phala for her initiative) to allow many of us another way to connect with you and to share your amazing being with the mass.
As you know, the celebration of your 100-day remembrance is upcoming. Our family will hold this very special Buddhist ceremony in honor of you on Saturday, January 11, 2014 at your home in Potomac, MD, starting at 9 A.M. Of course, this will be a beautiful and happy time we will share with families and friends as we all come together to support you and to help lead you successfully to your next mission. Joy and happiness in our hearts that we all will share with each other in our expressions of you on this special day and beyond will be the cornerstone of your successful journey, just as you would like it to be.
Pheary and I will arrange for our dear beloved Mom of 88 years to be with us at your service. While Mom is not aware of your passing, as it is considerable to keep it this way to protect her and health and well-being, the joy this special day will bring as she will be surrounded by loving family and many other kind-hearted attendees will give infinite blessings of love, peace, happiness, comfort, safety, freedom, good health, harmony, prosperity, to all spirits and beings that exist. Most of all, her presence will also help validate the success of your journey, which you can share with her when she will see you later in heaven.
In all the time you were here, I must say that I am very proud to have had you as my sibling. I am also very glad that I was able to be at your side in times of need. Your expressed gratitude to Pheary and me for being there for you and for Mom meant everything to us and motivated us to continue to be there for our loved ones whenever possible. Thank you for your true recognition of all the goodness in all of us.
I love you,and we all look forward to the great celebration of you:-)
Phally
Kolap Thomas
January 1, 2014
Bong Pheap, we miss you and love you so dearly. I have had tough times during these holidays. You will be remembered in our hearts, always!
John Poulsen
December 20, 2013
I was a great honor to have worked with you. You will be missed.
Rest in piece.
Phally Sem Budock
November 20, 2013
In 2001, when I introduced the idea to my family of my wanting to write a book about my life experiences, I told Pheap (aka Sompheap or Sem) that I would dedicate a whole chapter to him. He said to me that he would like to read that chapter first before I open the book up to the public. I told him no need for him to proofread because all there was to say about him was all positive and inspiring to all audience.
My passion about life is people. All kinds of people. Why? Because I find that they enrich my understand of human nature, as a way of being rather than an illusion of how one should be. Extraordinary people are those by whom I am especially fascinated because they help me to understand human nature in a way without bias. Those who can make a positive difference in other people's lives without fearing judgments of others who may disagree otherwise . Pheap was one of those extraordinary people whom I am indebted to with gratitude. Here is what I mean...
Pheap came to the US in 1973 to study finance and economics, in which he received a master's degree. When Cambodia collapsed in the mid 1970's, Pheap was still in the US and our remaining family members in Cambodia were stuck to face the atrocities and suffering inflicted by the Khmer Rouge as ordered by its leader Pol Pot (Saloth Sar was his birth name).
When only four of his family members, which included Mother and three sisters (Chivy, Pheary and, me, Phally), survived the war that ended in 1978, Pheap sponsored us to the US in 1980. He was only 26 years old then, and I, his youngest sibling, was 10 years old. He immediately became the legal guardian of Pheary and me because Pheary and I were minors at the time. With Mother's health condition being complicated by the effect of the war and the instigation of her ongoing recollection of loved ones died murderously and of starvation and illness during the war, Pheap took the position of "father figure" to provide for us.
First and foremost, he made sure that Mother was protected, in all respects, from anymore hardship. To name a few, this meant that she would (1) not have to worry about needing to work to earn income to provide for her children (although she provided for us in so many other ways that money cannot materialize), (2) be refrained from encountering negative news of any sort, whether it be from people we knew or from segments on TV, (3) not be disrespected by anyone.
With our father's philosophy on education heavily instilled in him, Pheap oversaw the education of his three sisters and guided and encouraged us to be good students. I remember oftentimes he would encourage us to read ahead in school textbooks even when we were already current on our reading homework. He would advise us that whenever we read, to make sure that we comprehend what we read and not memorize the words. And in class at school, to always sit in the middle of the front row so that we can focus on the teacher's lecture.
His academic discipline proved his outstanding knowledge of the financial market, which early on led him to generate for himself large amount of investment income to be able to afford a large down payment on a house for us to settle in, where each of us five had our own bedroom. I later learned that what he did was he would study performance of various penny stocks of certain publicly traded companies, until one day when he felt confident about his prediction of one company's future success. Promptly, he decided to make a bold move and used all of his $2,000 savings to buy penny stocks of this particular company. Over periods of time, when the stock continued to split, while unchanging the total value, he generated more and more shares. Not long after the last split of the stock did the per-share value increase from pennies to single-digit dollars. Then one day, after publicized announcements of the company's positive performance, the price per share climbed to multi-digit dollars. Pheap immediately sold all the shares he had and earned himself approximately $80,000 in capital gains. He bought himself a sleek black Porsche, which I always wanted him to drive me to school in every morning so I wouldn't have to take the yellow "cheese" public school bus. And later, in June 1986, we moved into the five-bedroom house, where many beautiful memories of us together continued to take place.
Pheap had a plan that we would always live together. Sometimes he would tell us girls that as our family gets bigger we all would move into a bigger house. We would always agree with him because his words were genuine and full of love. We were very protective of him, especially Mother since Dad had passed on during the Khmer Rouge regime, and always looked out for his best interest, just like he always looked out for ours. With rare spoken words, our love for each other reciprocated through our humble actions and mutual understanding. This undying love between us is what always kept us strong.
I sometimes ponder why such extraordinary people like Pheap (at age 58)and Chivy (at age 49) get to exit life at such fairly young age. The only plausible answer I can think of for myself to speculate is that life comes with a mission - a task, that is. Perhaps every task has a set time limit for one to complete. In Pheap's case, for example, he was given a task to perform during his lifetime. And that task maybe was to share his positive influence with many of whom he met during his lifetime, who may happen to also be extraordinary. I believe my senses are accurate because all the people that I had the privilege to met through him are exceptionally and positively influential. Furthermore, he reconnected families and friends after many years of absence from each other. Perhaps Pheap's task was for him to bring us, families & friends and colleagues, together to maintain a network of extraordinary people who can further spread such extraordinary influence to effect positive difference in the world, like he did. This is the perspective I find helpful for me to maintain strength and comfort. And I wish all of us peace and strength as we embrace our loving memories of our extraordinary Pheap.
Today, November 20th, is Pheap's birthday. The day my extraordinary idol was born; the day that I will continue to celebrate him in my heart and mind. This is the day I declare as The Sem Holiday, and hopefully in the future this day can be arranged for social gathering among families & friends and extended network in loving memories of Pheap.
Please join me as we toast to Pheap and our long but exciting and fascinating journey of life to come. Cheer!
Happy Birthday, Pheap! Thank you greatly, and we love you always & forever.
Phally - your little sister
November 20, 2013
Kolap Thomas
November 19, 2013
Bong Pheap, not every day passes by that I don't think of you!
I thank you again and again for all you did for our family!
I have cried silent tears wishing I could have said good bye and could have told you how much you meant to us.
Happy BirthDay to my beloved cousin!
Kolap
Barbara Scanlon Sbardella
October 27, 2013
I was SO VERY GRATEFUL to be able to be AT YOUR Services and Interment, of the MOST EXCEPTIONAL PHENOMENAL MAN THAT HAS EVER WALKED THIS EARTH. ALL HAVE LOST a RARE and EXCLUSIVE SOUL when YOU were taken from us. To My BELOVED BROTHER-IN-LAW I Will MISS YOU and YOUR SPECIAL HEART ALWAYS. I Will LOVE YOU ALL MY LIFE and be FOREVER GRATEFUL for Taking such Loving Care of My Sister Laurene and Giving US ALL the GIFT of YOUR BEAUTIFUL, GRACIOUS Daughter OLIVIA Who Is The PERFECT EXPRESSION of The INNER and OUTER BEAUTY of YOU and LAURENE. I WILL ALWAYS BE GRATEFUL FOR YOUR LOVE AND FAMILY RELATIONSHIP. YOUR BELOVED SISTER-IN-LAW, BARBARA ANNE SCANLON SBARDELLA...UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN IN PARADISE...I LOVE YOU.
October 27, 2013
Dearest Laurene and Olivia,
Please know that Sem has left his imprint in our Department (IMD) and that I have had the privilege of knowing him as a special person of integrity, sincerity and compassion. I admire him for his love for his family (his family had always been his pride!) and thoughtfulness for others. Now, you have someone smiling and looking after you from above. He will always be remembered. Please accept my sincerest condolences, Ruby Barbosa
William W. Thomas, III
October 27, 2013
Thank you for taking care of my wife and her family. Thank you for giving her away at our wedding. I did not have the opportunity to spend much time with you, but when I did I sensed I was in the company of a thoughtful and gracious soul. Despite the demands of a successful career you always seemed to be able to give to others. My wife recently told me that she saw you in a dream…you were quiet and still smiling at your family, preparing for your upcoming journey. I will always hold warmly the memory of when I last visited your house and shared a bottle of red wine. Rest in peace and take comfort in the great work you did while you were here.
Donnie Cole
October 23, 2013
I never had the honor of meeting you but I believe I know you. You did the right thing first and then moved on to the next task that required your touch. I was very pleased to see your affiliation with the Montgomery County Partners for Animal Well-Being as my wife and I assist animal rescues also.
They say when a man dies he is remembered by how he lived. After reading the thoughts of those that wrote before me it is quite obvious you were loved by all, you put others needs, wants, and desires before your own, and the memory of having you in their lives will remain forever.
October 21, 2013
My dear beloved brother Pheap, it was an honor and a pleasure to be your sister. You were the best brother I have had, and you will be irreplaceable. As a brother, you were always there for me whenever I needed assistance. Your caring nature, generosity, kindness, and protective of loved ones are well appreciated. Thank you for everything that you had done for me and our families.
You may be gone, but you will never be forgotten. I will always cherish memories of you and hold them in my heart. May you rest in peace and have an enlightened journey to Heaven.
Love you, Pheap,
Your younger sister, Pheary Sem
Phala Som SEM-PELLISSIER
October 20, 2013
Sompheap, my small loved brother, your departure so early all upset us, but it was the will of God. You remainders always unforgettable in the heart and the memory of each one of us all. That your heart rests in peace.
Between you and me, I know that we have been bound by the thought since our tender childhood to Kampuchea, in spite of our separation for 40 years of exile abroad, and although we traversed the world so much, each one on his side, from our respective professional life. I wish that this relation continue until the Infinite
Some share where we were, in Europe or Africa, you always gave us news of our relations, you were the very invaluable bond for André, Céline and me. You were very attentive and did you many concern for your Céline niece who remained at the time, so young person and all alone in Paris for its studies while we, the parents, were so far in Africa to work. You always came to visit him to each passage to Europe. one. Lately, I refused to believe of what it was going to occur for you.
You are a son, a brother, a brother-in-law, a husband, a father, an uncle, a friend, a formidable manager for us all. Since you were very small, you said to Maman that later when you would be tall, you would brew between your hands of the billion and the billion in currencies. You wished well later to work in finance. Both, we had given up our courses which we had started in Asia to embrace of other studies. Now, I think that our father had a long-term vision for our future… You always called in question it why and it how, and always put to you in search for the solution most adapted to each situation.
You had been born to manage, and share the joy and the sorrow with your close relations. I lost one irreplaceable confidant. We supported ourselves with each difficult test, which is in our professional life or our private life. All was told…
You formed with Laurene a happy and welded couple. I remember well when you advertisement to me the birth of Olivia has, you had asked me for councils, and you were so proud and so happy. It is so far, and so near for me. Olivia is now a so wall, intelligent and responsible teenager. You was so invaluable for your wife and your daughter. We will take care on them for always.
Now, we try to continue to assume our everyday life by keeping the bonds with our close relations and while hoping to find again you, one day in the future.
Your big sister who loved you, Phala SEM-PELLISSIER
79 avenue Jean Jaurès, 69007 Lyon, FRANCE
[email protected]
Phala SEM-PELLISSIER
October 20, 2013
Sompheap, mon petit frère bien aimé, ton départ si tôt nous a tous bouleversés, mais c'était la volonté de Dieu. Tu resteras toujours inoubliable dans le cœur et la mémoire de chacun de nous tous.
Que ton âme se repose en paix.
Entre toi et moi, je sais que nous sommes liés par la pensée depuis notre tendre enfance au Cambodge, malgré notre séparation depuis 40 ans d'exil à l'Etranger, et bien que nous ayons tant parcouru le monde, chacun de son côté, de par notre vie professionnelle respective. Je souhaite que cette relation continue jusqu'à l'Infini. Ces derniers temps, j'ai refusé de croire de ce qu'il allait se produire pour toi.
Quelque part où nous nous trouvions, en Europe ou en Afrique, tu nous donnais toujours des nouvelles de tout monde, tu étais le lien très précieux pour André, Céline et moi. Tu étais très prévenant et te faisais beaucoup de soucis pour ta nièce Céline qui restait à l'époque, si jeune et toute seule à Paris pour ses études pendant que nous, les parents, étions si loin en Afrique pour travailler. Tu venais toujours lui rendre visite à chaque passage en Europe.
Tu es un fils, un frère, un beau-frère, un mari, un père, un oncle, un ami, un manager formidable pour nous tous. Depuis que tu étais tout petit, tu disais à Maman que plus tard, quand tu serais grand, tu brasserais entre tes mains des milliards et des milliards en monnaies. Tu souhaitais bien plus tard travailler dans la finance. Tous les deux, nous avions abandonné nos cursus que nous avions entamés en Asie pour embrasser d'autres études. Maintenant, je pense que notre père avait une vision à long terme pour notre avenir…
Tu remettais toujours en question le pourquoi et le comment, et te mettais toujours en recherche de la solution la plus adaptée à chaque situation. Tu étais né pour diriger et partager la joie et la peine avec tes proches. J'ai perdu un irremplaçable confident. Nous nous sommes soutenus à chaque épreuve difficile, quelle soit dans notre vie professionnelle ou notre vie privée. On se racontait tout…
Tu formais avec Laurene un couple heureux et soudé. Je me rappelle bien quand tu m'a annoncé la naissance d'Olivia, tu m'avais demandé des conseils et tu étais « aux anges », si fier et si heureux ! C'est si loin, et si près pour moi. Olivia est à présent une adolescente tellement mûre, intelligente et responsable. Tu as été si précieux pour ta femme et ta fille. Nous veillerons sur elles pour toujours.
Maintenant, nous essayons de continuer d'assumer notre vie quotidienne en gardant les liens avec nos proches, et en espérant te revoir un jour dans le futur...
Ta grande sœur qui t'aime, Phala SEM-PELLISSIER
79 avenue Jean Jaurès, 69007 Lyon, France
[email protected]
Nehme Ayoub
October 19, 2013
Working with Sem was a privilege one had to earn, so I slowly made my way. And one day he said "prof. I really like you", we called each other prof., " I don't like working with people I don't like. Are you a republican?"
This was a double victory. Hopefully the cooperation would become more formal, but more importantly, I would get to travel with Sem. And that's what we all want to do: Travel with Sem.
So Sem and I agreed we would travel next to Singapore, eat curry fish head and Sunday brunch at the Ritz. He left before me, but I will catch up on one of his stops around the world. Happy travels in the meantime.
Lima Huy
October 16, 2013
Character is how you treat those who can do nothing for you. Today, I honor you uncle Somphaep Sem, a man of utmost integrity and character. You have touched many lives.
You gave my widow mother, grandmother, siblings, and me a new life when you sponsored us and many others to America in 1981. We are forever grateful to you.
When our family came to America, we came with nothing in our pockets, but a dream of starting a new life. We suffered through the horror of the Khmer Rouge regime. At only 4-5 years old, I can vividly remember the first glimpse of America through a small airplane window. Looking down, I saw the radiance of Washington DC illuminated with many beautiful lights. I can still remember living in a tiny three bedroom apartment with 12-15 people on South 8th Road in Arlington, VA. Most of all, I remember you uncle, buying us ham and turkey for Thanksgiving dinner. It was not uncommon for you to bring us groceries whenever you visited. You bought me clothes and shoes when I had none, took me out to eat and to the beach. You gave me the gift of many happy childhood memories that I will forever cherish.
If I have one regret in this lifetime, I regret not expressing my gratitude and love for you while you were still alive.
Your selfless acts inspire me to continue living my life just like you - to be humble, compassionate, and kind to everyone.
Life is too short and it has made me reflect on what is truly important. Success, as you have demonstrated, is not measured by material possessions, but about helping others less fortunate and touching people's lives in a positive meaningful way. Indeed, you are the iconic symbol of character.
May you rest in peace. You may be gone, but memories of you will remain forever in our hearts. Please watch over all of us from heaven. We shall meet again later.
With lots of love, your niece Lima.
Joe Molina, Jr.
October 16, 2013
A Tribute to Sompheap Sem
My name is Joe Molina, I'm here to share my memories of my WB colleague and friend, Sem.
When I was asked to talk about him, I thought this was going to be a challenge. What can you say about
such a private person? I will tell you about the Sem I knew from working at the World Bank, where we started together in the mid 80's. Over the years, the glimpses of his life that he shared with me helped to paint a fuller picture of the man.
He was superb at finance. At work, he was universally respected and liked for his skills and the kind of person he was. He was honest, soft spoken, courteous, well-mannered, willing to help, always had a smile, always thanked you profusely when he asked for anything and had a sense of humor always lurking in the background.
First and foremost, he loved his family – his wife Laurene, his daughter Olivia, his 2 dogs, his mom and his sisters.
He also loved the finer things in life. Travel, fast cars, fine food & wine, the Washington Capitals and the
Washington Redskins. Due to his taste for the finer things we called him the prince of Cambodia . Sem used to call me “JoeJoe” or “Joe Schmoe” for obvious reasons.
Let me elaborate. First, derivatives. I met him when we worked together in the swap group at the Financial Operations Department. He taught me everything I know about derivatives. Things you wouldn't learn from a textbook or at the university. He spent countless hours with me. Once I
remarked on how nice it was of him to take so much time and he said, “the boss won't let me go on vacation until you learn all this stuff, so pay attention! THINK, JoeJoe, THINK !!!
Sem moved to the Investment Department, the unit which manages the WB's $25 B liquidity portfolio, where he stayed until he retired. He had a unique ability to source attractive investments across the globe. He wasn't just respected by his WB colleagues, he was known and respected worldwide in the finance community. His network of market contacts around the world would open doors for us that we didn't know existed. He introduced and managed many new instruments for our portfolio, but had the wisdom and experience to keep things simple. His finest hour was probably the financial crisis, when many banks were going bankrupt left and right, the WB stood tall and strong. He added some fantastic investments to our portfolio, such as very cheap bank bonds guaranteed by the Australian government.
Traders are ultimately measured by their bottom line, their P&L or profit and loss. Sem's contribution to the Bank and its mission, measured by the millions of dollars of investment income he generated was immense.
On the rare occasions when he would slip up, we would have a conversation that went something like this: “JoeJoe you need to write a memo for me”
“Why ?”
“I exceeded my trading limit, you need to explain why”
“How do you expect me to write something when I have no idea what you did?”
“You can come up with something JoeJoe. Dictate and I'll type. C'mon JoeJoe, move !”
After I would help him, he would always say, “Beautiful, JoeJoe”.
So now the truth is out. Myles, I hope you will forgive Sem's occasional lapses. Those lame excuses you got which made no sense, that wasn't Sem who wrote them – it was me.
On his family - Olivia, did your dad ever tell you what he planned to originally name you? He was very excited and proud when Laurene got pregnant, and he told me he was going to call the baby Andrew Taylor Sompheap. How that turned into Olivia Catherine I have no idea.
He loved his dogs very much. When he was diagnosed and was going to have surgery, one of his dogs was having surgery that same week and he was more worried about who was going to care for the dog while he was in the hospital.
He loved travel. He knew which airline to take, their routes, the type of aircraft, the best hotels. I wouldn't bother calling the travel office. I would ask Sem.
WB expatriate staff go on home leave to their home countries every two years. As a political refugee, Sem couldn't travel to his home country, Cambodia. For those cases, by Bank policy your home leave destination is the closest neighboring country, which in Sem's case was Thailand.
One day he told me, “JoeJoe, you need to write me a memo. I want to change my home leave destination to Singapore.”
“Why Singapore?”
“I want to go there. I'm tired of Thailand”
“Are you sure Sem? Once you change your destination to Singapore you'll have to go there for home leave every 2 years”
“yeah yeah.”
So I drafted a memo on how he was concerned for the safety of his family due to recent Cambodian guerilla activity on the Thai-Cambodian border, pointing out that he was a political refugee.
“Beautiful, JoeJoe”. HR bought it, and Sem went to Singapore.
Two years later the next home leave comes along, and Sem comes to me.
“JoeJoe, you need to write another memo for me, I want to change my home leave destination”
“Why ?”
“I'm tired of Singapore”
“Where do you want to go ?”
“Australia”
“How am I supposed to justify that, Australia is nowhere near Cambodia ?”
“You the man JoeJoe, you think of something.”
So I helped him write something pointing out that the objective of home leave was for staff & their
families to maintain their ties with their home country and culture, and Australia had the largest Cambodian community outside Cambodia. I have no idea if this was true, but I figured they wouldn't check. I think it worked, because Sem went to Australia.
One trait I didn't particularly care for was his taste in music. He liked country music. He used to sing this
song “you were always on my mind” over and over. How someone who grew up in Cambodia got to like hillbilly music I'll never know. I think he just did it because he knew it drove me crazy.
He loved food and he was a gourmet cook.
He used to show me magazine article and photos of ovens, the kind they use in restaurants. Big stainless steel ovens with big overhead exhaust fans.
He told me “One day I'm going to buy one of these JoeJoe”.
“What for, are you going to open a restaurant?”
“No, for my house. I like to cook.”
I visited his house for the first time exactly a week before he died. Although we were friends for 25+ years I had never been to his house. What I saw made me happy for him.
I saw a big, new, stainless steel oven just like the ones they use in restaurants.
I saw pictures of Sem, Laurene and Olivia in exotic places all over the world.
I saw a picture of Sem and Olivia at her HS graduation, and his face had an expression of pride and happiness that I'd never seen on him before.
All of us have to die sometime, but first we live. And Sem lived and saw his dreams come true.
I'm going to stop here, and let Sem have the last word because I couldn't have said it any better. I visited Sem in the hospital a couple of months ago after his surgery, he was in great spirits, we joked around as usual and I remember the last thing he said to me: “JoeJoe, SHUT UP !”
Thank you Sem. Thank you for the wisdom, thank you for the laughs, thank you for putting a little class into the rest of us, thank you for being our friend.
9:00 am, October 12, 2013
Shelagh Smith/ Axley
October 16, 2013
We are so sorry to here of this great loss. We love his wife and our thoughts and prayers are with Laurene and Olivia.
Dara Tan
October 16, 2013
Your the best. I love and respect you so much Lok Pu. Thank you for everything. I miss you dearly. My tears are falling....
Phally Sem Budock
October 15, 2013
I would like to share with the world this eulogy that I wrote and presented at the funeral service for my dear, beloved brother, Sompheap Sem, on Saturday, October 12, 2013 (DOD October 6, 2013, Sunday)...
**********************************************************
Sompheap (pronounced soam-pierp), in the Cambodian language Khmer, means elegant/eloquent and refined. The name suited him well because his tasteful beauty of manner, form, and style exemplified who he was as a person. He was the kind of person every man would want to be and every woman would respect and be respected by. He was a wonderful brother, son, husband, father, uncle, cousin, friend and, overall, a great human being.
Since I was a kid, I would observe Sompheap's character to see what I could learn from him as my big brother. What I had realized about him was his caring and peaceful nature. His ability to handle every situation with great care and peace of mind inspires me to this day to follow his lead and to set an example for myself to be the extraordinary kind of person that he was to others. This is one of life's greatest gifts I received from him.
Now that Sompheap has passed on, his extraordinary presence remains with us not only in spirit but in another greatest gift he left for us to remember him by. And that gift is his daughter, Olivia, who not only resembles him in certain physical attributes but more so his extraordinary nature. For this and more, I am proud to know that Sompheap's legacy still lives on.
**********************************************************
I love you and miss you forever, Pheap. Thank you for your unconditional love.
Kolap Thomas
October 15, 2013
Bong Pheap, we miss you so much! Thank you so much for all you had done for our family! May you rest in peace. I miss you so much!
Silen Nhok
October 14, 2013
We are so sorry to hear that Lok Pu Sompheap Sem just passing away. Our family give condolence to all of our family for the lost of loved one.
Silen Nhok
Elizabeth Sphal Tea
Sileap Nhok
[email protected]
Thierry Pujol
October 14, 2013
Sem,
My thoughts are with the family. His smile and his sense of humor made the World Bank Treasury a nicer place. We'll miss you Sem!
October 13, 2013
As I hear these song lyrics "Only the good they die young" reminds me of Sompheap Sem a true friend with a smile, who taught me to be humble in so many ways.
May your soul rest in eternal peace with our Lord.
Doris Herrera-Pol
October 12, 2013
I met Sem when I joined the World Bank Treasury in 1986. We used to call him "The Prince". To this date I don't know if he was of royal lineage in Cambodia. Regardless, he deserved this title. He was a truly magnanimous human being, noble of heart and mind; one of the best persons I have known in all my life.
Hala Khattar
October 11, 2013
His smile said it all, a kind and gentle soul. You will be greatly missed my friend by all those you touched. Rest in Peace.
Bill & Kourandy Oung
October 11, 2013
Pheap,
A wonderful college friend you were…we spent countless time teasing each other yet we were also serious about our journey of college life at a place far away from our birth land. You were a good student model. Believe it or not, I was trying to follow your lead. You know, I had to make an effort to go to the 24 hour study room just because I saw you there! It is a good habit, but I may want to ask for some sleep time back from you. You were a great personal friend, whom I shared stories about major events in my life-Thanks for listening and many thanks for being my best man at my wedding. 39 years of friendship!
You were an excellent friend to both my wife and I. We were fortunate to have such a relationship and we will keep the spirit of our friendship until the day we part from this world.
Now that you have moved on to the next journey, we wish you the best and that you will always find good companies at the next place, wherever it may be.
Farewell my friend,
Rith and Ra
Theresa Carzon
October 11, 2013
My thoughts and prayers are with the family. I truly enjoyed working with Sem, he was such a kind and happy soul and a pleasure to work with. I will always remember what a proud papa he was when Olivia was born and it makes me smile. May he Rest in peace and give you strength to deal with this terrible loss.
October 11, 2013
Dear Sem,
I enjoyed every minute of our friendship. I will miss you. I will keep you and your family in my thoughts and prayers. Rest now my friend.
John Gandolfo (Bethesda, Maryland)
Eleanor Valencia
October 11, 2013
Sem was one of the kindest and most caring person I ever met. I remember many years ago when the Philippines suffered a number of major natural disasters (I think it was when the dormant Mt. Pinatubo volcano erupted), he called me to ask if I needed to send some stuff home to help the disaster victims. Before I knew it, he brought 4 bags full of clothes, shoes, beddings, etc. and asked me to include them in the box I was going to send to the Philippines. I was deeply touched by his kindness and I will never forget his most generous gesture. Sem, I will always keep you in warm remembrance in my prayers - Sem - indeed, you are a man with a golden heart! My deepest sympathy to Laurene and Olivia.
Sieng Tan
October 11, 2013
Pheap,
I am thankful to have re-connected with you three weeks ago. We have known each other since you first arrived in the U.S. I remembered watching you unpacked your suitcases and you brought out 1 bag of rice and 1 small bag of salt. When I mentioned this to you recently, you laughed and told me that your Mother packed them for you.
We had a lot of good times at Ben's house, where some of our friends stayed during college years; Rith and his wife Ra, Tha, Woody, just to name a few. We were like family away from home. It was there that you taught me the rock-and-roll dance. As we were practicing to the tune of CCR, Ben, the landlord, came to the room, but after he saw us dancing, he just turned around and gently closed the door. We were laughing in embarrassment.
I will cherish all these good memories that we had. You will be greatly missed.
Maria Olsen
October 11, 2013
You are a beautiful, peaceful soul, who had a smile for everyone. Your legacy lives on in your wonderful daughter, Olivia. Rest in peace. Maria
Teng-Hong Cheah
October 10, 2013
Sem, you were a kind and gentle soul and a truly brilliant but always ever so humble colleague. I truly enjoyed working and traveling around the world those many years ago. May the good karma that you must surely have accumulated in this life lead you to nirvana in your next.
October 10, 2013
Bang Pheap,
my deepest sympathy to the rest of the family. Eventhough we hardly talk, 9 months ago I saw you chatting with Sothavy at bang Naravin's house with greatest smile. Your great smile will be with all of us.
Sambo Ly- San Leandro, California
Kunthary de Gaiffier
October 10, 2013
I will miss you dearest Pheap, and you will always remain in our hearts. May you rest in peace now, and may strength and courage be with Laurene, Olivia, and the rest of your family during this time of great loss.
Kolap Thomas
October 10, 2013
Bong Pheap, you were the nicest man I have ever met. You were so nice and kind to us and you never expected anything in return. Thank you so much bong, I will always treasure all good memories I have of you. I miss you so much!
October 10, 2013
Sem,
Too young, too soon!!
How I remembered all of the late night deals when you were my swap counterpart. It seemed to be a life time ago. You had such infectious smile that will be missed.
Peace & comfort,
Fan-Fan
Kolap Thomas
October 10, 2013
Bonh Pheap, you were the nicest man I have ever met and a tremendous asset to your family and friends. Thank you for sponsoring our family members to enter the US, and helping me to complete my education and for giving me away at my wedding. You were so kind and so helpful to us and you never expected anything in return!!!
I will treasure all the good memories I have of you. “I miss you so much!”
Fernando Saldanha
October 10, 2013
In my whole career I cannot think of a colleague that was as cheerful, positive, and removed from all pettiness as Sem. He was a truly extraordinary individual.
O Sem
October 10, 2013
I love you daddy. You are the best person in the world. Glad you are at peace and with God now. Miss you a lot.
Afsaneh Mashayekhi Beschloss
October 10, 2013
Sem was one of the nicest colleagues I have worked with and I am thankful for the opportunity to have known him. He will be greatly missed. My thoughts and prayers are with Laurene and Olivia in this time of great sorrow.
Phann White
October 10, 2013
I was not lucky enough to spend as much time as I wanted with this uncle! Just the short time I did spend with him - he touched my heart and I can tell right away he is - what you see is what you get! The most loving father, husband, brother, uncle and cousin to all! He always cared for others - he had a heart of gold! I will miss you Bo! I wish I had a chance to hug you and just say thank you! Love you - Ah Poy!
Kolap Thomas
October 10, 2013
Bonh Pheap, you were the nicest man I have ever met and a tremendous asset to your family and friends. Thank you for sponsoring our family members to enter the US, and helping me to complete my education; and for giving me away at my wedding. You were so kind and so helpful to us and you never expected anything in return!!!
I will treasure all the good memories I have of you. “I miss you so much!”
Geoffrey Luce
October 10, 2013
When we were trading, he showed great patience and insight. But over the last several years he would be my first call on politics. I loved speaking to him about politics. I will think of him. I will miss him.
R Ambarish
October 9, 2013
Sem was a gentle soul and a kind human being. He taught us all how to brave the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune. RIP, my dear friend.
Sothavy Kim
October 9, 2013
Bong, you will be dearly missed as you crossed that golden bridge to reunite with our family at the other side. You just said to us, “See you later!” You inspired and touched many lives, only your family and people here, but also the other part of the globe. You animated the beauty and the art of cuisine, fine wines, and champagne, especially the memorable Moet & Chandon Imperial; every time I cook, I see you raise your glass of Moet with that illuminated smile. I will always miss your radiant smile, your soft spoken words, and your eloquent mannerism. Thank you for being a part of my life and I am proud and honor to be your many, many cousins. May you rest in peace and give the family the strength during this time of sorrow.
Terrence Keeley
October 9, 2013
The tributes here speak volumes of a man who knew no enemies and earned no scorn. To the contrary, knowing Sem meant greater equanimity and wisdom, verisimilitude and intuition. Sem, the world was graced by your presence and gifts. May you know how much you are loved - and may you experience peace and fulfillment in your rest.
Nehme Ayoub
October 9, 2013
He was the Guru, and the life of the party. He was gentle, fun and mischievous. A generous man and a man of taste. The best companion anyone could have. Rest in peace Sompheap.
Hannah Williams
October 9, 2013
I am sad to hear of the passing of Sem. It was a pleasure to have worked with him. He was kind and gentle and always smiling. I found him considerate and thoughtful and he never made work looked harder than it was. What a loss. My sympathy to his family and may God grant them comfort. Please hold his wonderful memories and in time the pain with ease.
Lisa and Michael Verhanovitz
October 9, 2013
Sem, you were such a kind and gentle man with a wonderful sense of humor. Our family was lucky to know you throughout our years together at Stone Ridge. From little kid soccer and basketball games to field days to Winter Balls, Proms, the Tres Bien Ball and Graduation 2013, we were a group of tightly knit families. We will miss you and we will never forget you. We will always look out for your girls. May you rest in peace.
Sophorn Prom
October 9, 2013
Bang, you will be greatly missed. We are very lucky to have you in our live, a cousin that is kind, gentle and very thoughtful. We will always remember your smile and soft spoken words. May you rest in peace and give strength to the family in this time of sorrow.
Sophorn & Borom
Sophorn & Borom Prom
October 9, 2013
Bang, you will be greatly missed. We are very lucky to have you in our live, a cousin that is kind, gentle and very thoughtful. We will always remember your smile and soft spoken words. May you rest in peace and give strength to the family in this time of sorrow.
October 9, 2013
Bang, you will be greatly missed. We are very lucky to have you in our live, a cousin that is kind, gentle and very thoughtful. We will always remember your smile and soft spoken words. May you rest in peace and give strength to the family in this time of sorrow.
Sophorn & Borom (Sterling, VA)
October 9, 2013
Bang, you will be greatly missed. We are very lucky to have you in our live, a cousin that is kind, gentle and very thoughtful. We will always remember your smile and soft spoken words. May you rest in peace and give strength to the family in this time of sorrow.
Sophorn & Borom (Sterling, VA)
Arun Muralidhar
October 9, 2013
I cannot think of a more wonderful friend and colleague than Sem - always wore a smile and never lost his cool. Taught me all I know about swaps and we had the most fun trips I can remember. RIP my friend....
Roxy Malikyar
October 9, 2013
Sem was one of the nicest people I ever met in my lifetime. He was kind, thoughtful and gentle and will be deeply missed by all who were lucky enough to have known him. May he rest in peace and God give his family the strength to deal with this loss.
Ravikumar Balasubramanian
October 9, 2013
Dear Sem, thanks for being there for all of us with your helpful attitude, gentle smile and a quirky sense of humour. You were a dear friend and a knowledgeable colleague who never hesitated to help anyone. You will be missed.
Ravi Balasubramanian, Singapore
Jackie & Ly Tieu
October 9, 2013
Phou, you will be deeply missed. We will always remember your kind and gentle soul and radiant smile. May you rest in peace and give strength to the family during this difficult time.
Margot Alert
October 9, 2013
Sem was a wonderful office colleague and friend. He is someone for whom I have great respect. He was quiet, thoughtful and kind.
He will be greatly missed.
Margot Alert
Margot Alert
October 9, 2013
May the Higher Power give great strength to you, and bless you and your family in this time of sorrow.
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