L.K. Pang

Published 12:36 am Saturday, January 6, 2018

L.K. Pang, (Uncle Pap), 105, went to be with the Lord Tuesday, Jan., 2, 2018 at Baptist Memorial Hospital – North Mississippi in Oxford, Miss. Visitation will be Sunday, Jan. 7, 2018 from 1 p.m. until 2:30 p.m. at Oakhurst Baptist Church, 828 West Second, Clarksdale, Miss., followed by the funeral service at 2:30.p.m. Burial will follow in the family plot in the Marks Cemetery in Marks, Miss. Meredith Nowell Funeral Home is handling arrangements.

In lieu of flowers please donate to the Chow Scholarship at Oakhurst Baptist Church or charity of donor’s choice.

He spent the majority of his adult life in Clarksdale but travelled the country and the world in his lifetime. He was a venerated member of the Greatest Generation, serving others throughout his life. Uncle Pap was the son of Jone Sam Pang and Hom Shee Pang. He was preceded in death by sisters King Pang Chow, Gene Pang Chinn, Doris Pang Wong, and brothers, L.Y. (Yee) Pang, Shaw Pang, Andy Pang, Walter Pang, and Billy Pang. He is survived by his brother, Tim L. Pang.

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Uncle Pap is survived by his niece and nephews, Sammy Chow (Sandra), Sally Chow (Gilroy), Audric Chow (Alice), Dean Chow (Yung) and other nieces and nephews, great nieces and nephews as well as great, great nieces and nephews.

He was born in Marks, Miss. growing up with his many siblings operating the family grocery store and farm. In his teen years he went to China with seven other siblings to further his education. His father wanted each of them to know their culture and heritage in great detail. Uncle Pap came back to the U.S. to complete his education, graduating from high school in Helena, Ark., He then went to Nashville to study electronics, where he achieved great proficiency. It was there that he volunteered to join the Navy; he immediately started performing maintenance on state-of-the-art, sophisticated classified avionic equipment. In the Navy, he was assigned to Naval Air Wing, in Attu, Alaska. One of his primary assignments was to blow up all of the classified equipment if the base were to fall into enemy’s hands. Fortunately, he never had to exercise that assignment. He served there in the Aleutians until the Japanese surrender in 1945. He served several more years before he finally went home to Dublin, Miss. Uncle Pap lived with his sister King and her family for the next 67 years in Clarksdale.

Uncle Pap was an entrepreneur in every sense of the word; he owned property, he farmed several enterprises, operated rental property, bought and sold items, all the while taking care of multiple entities. He belonged to the American Legion, VFW, DAV, and was the founder of the Chinese American Christian Organization in Clarksdale. He was named a Colonel on Governor Cliff Finch’s staff. Uncle Pap was a founding member of the Blands’ Bayou Hunting Club. He was an avid Ole Miss Rebel fan and was recognized as the “Home Town Hero” on the field at Vaught- Hemingway Stadium during a game on his hundredth birthday. When he turned 105, he was again recognized at the Ole Miss half time performance on Veterans Day. Recently, he was awarded a flag flown over the U.S. Capitol by US Rep. Kelly.

He moved into the Mississippi State Veterans Home in Oxford after his health required special care. Uncle Pap received excellent care and all his needs were met for five years by the staff. In a short while, he was recognized as the oldest living WWII veteran in Mississippi, and the second oldest in the nation.