The world never forgets a life well lived. Hundreds gathered together recently to say their final farewells to Minnesota comedian and Hmong community activist Tou Ger Xiong.
Xiong was allegedly kidnapped and killed last year December during a trip to Colombia. It all started when his brother in the U.S. received a call from Medellin, where Xiong was visiting a friend.
It was Xiong telling him about the kidnapping, and his captors were demanding $2,000 in ransom. This is according to accounts by prosecutors and Xiong’s brother. They found Xiong’s body in a wooded area on December 11.
News of his demise shocked the St. Paul community, and tributes flooded in from friends, loved ones, and elected officials. “He was one of the funniest and most sincere people I’ve ever met,” Mayor Melvin Carter said on X. “His light enlivened everyone around him.”
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In accordance with Hmong tradition, Xiong’s memorial will take place over three days. It will start with the ceremony and end with his committal service.
At the funeral, his brother Eh Xiong spoke to NBC News about saying his final farewell. He described his brother as someone with a deep love for his community. He said Xiong had a spirit that always pushed him to fight for justice.
“It’s sad, my family is sad,” he said. “But we are glad that we can finally put closure to his life here and then move beyond this point.” Those present at his funeral said they’d remember him as someone who touched their lives, bringing with him light and laughter.
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“Everywhere he goes, he leaves a little thing that people will never forget about him,” a friend at the funeral said. Xiong was born in Laos in 1973, and two years later his family fled to Thailand as refugees.
The family spent four years in a refugee camp then settled in St. Paul, where Xiong continued to spend his life advocating for the Hmong community. In a statement after Xiong’s death, former Minnesota state Sen. Mee Moua, who is also Hmong, spoke about his impact while alive and its depth.
“Today the Hmong diaspora around the world, whether in Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, China, France, Australia, Canada, South America, and the United States of America, have lost a one of a kind modern day hero,” she said.
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“Tou: In a time when we needed belonging, your stories anchored our Hmong children in their roots. Your songs and your dance invited elders to embrace the new without fear of losing their cultural identity.”
Xiong no doubt lived a great life, and even though he has passed, his memory will live on in the hearts of those he has touched.
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