John Tong Lee, age 69, passed away on December 14, 2025.

John Tong Lee of Inola, Oklahoma, passed away on Sunday, December 14, 2025, at Saint Francis Hospital in Tulsa, Oklahoma at the age of 69 due to chronic health problems.

John Lee was born on September 29, 1956 (1960) in Dok Mai Village, Xieng-Khouang, Paek Province, Laos; The only immigrant son and eldest son of father Naocha Lee and deceased mother Sheng (Vue) Lee.

He was married for 34 years to his wife, Ong Chang Lee, who died in 2014. He was a hard-working husband, a disciplined father, a kind grandfather, a compassionate brother, and a caring son. He leaves behind nine surviving children, five sons, from eldest to youngest: Major Lee of Springfield, Missouri, Alexander Lee of Sacramento California, Tully Lee of Leominster, Massachusetts, and Komeng Lee and Tou Lee, both of Springfield, Missouri. As well as four daughters, oldest to youngest, Wonder (Lee) Yang of Greer, South Carolina, Jennifer (Lee) Good of Minneapolis, Minnesota, Aimee (Lee) Xiong of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, and Linda Lee of Inola, Oklahoma.

He also leaves behind four surviving siblings, two brothers, Bouahue Lee of Bori-khamxay, Laos, and Kao Lee of Xieng-Khouang, Laos. As well as two sisters: Yee Lee and Ya Lee both of Xieng-Khouang, Laos. Moreover, he is a proud grandfather. He is survived by his 11 grandchildren: Belle Yang, Elijah Lee, Rina Lee, Ivory Lee, Atreyeux Good, Damien Xiong, Elieas Good, Faith Lee, Grace Yang, Link Lee and Wynter Lee.

John Lee was born and raised in a small peaceful Hmong village Dok Mai in the Xieng-Khouang forest of Laos, to farmers Naocha Lee and Sheng Vue. He excelled in middle school. Especially in English, which he helps teach other students and while home helps his parents farm. In 1979, at the age of fifteen, he joins fellow villagers making an early departure, fleeing from the Vietnamese soldiers in the aftermath of the Vietnam War, towards Thailand. Unfortunately, the villagers who departed too late, including his family, are captured by Vietnamese soldiers and forced to stay in the village. Alone, John walks through miles of perilous terrain and traps climbing through a corpse dump to reach the Mekong River, which he had to cross to reach the rumored safety of the refugee camps in Thailand. He then innocently paid a Thai boatman to row him across the Mekong River to the safer shores of Thailand, who could’ve ended up robbing him and throwing him into the river to drown. When he safely arrived on the shores of Thailand, he continued walking to the nearest bus station where he was transported to and settled in Ban Venai refugee camp, Thailand.

With his intelligence and outgoing personality, he was able to take a job as a bus attendant, refueling and cleaning buses used to transport people to and from the refugee camps. After a few months of working he meets a girl he falls in love with and tries to woe her as she and her family boards the bus but was rejected. Fate brought them together again at Thai’s international airport where he was able to copy her new address in the United States for himself.

The following year, 1980, he obtained an American sponsor and flew to the United States to settle down with his cousin in San Diego, California. He enrolled and received a graphic arts certificate on July 24, 1981, at Midway Community College in San Diego, California. Before the end of that year, he got a job as an English tutor for the Hmong refugees at a local adult center. John eventually had enough money to travel to the address he had written to find and marry the young girl he met briefly in Laos. At the age of twenty-five, John Lee marries Ong Chang Lee and settles in San Diego, California for a short time

February 1982 at the age of twenty-six, he and his wife began their family with the birth of their first child, and every year thereafter there would be another child to care for, all the while having to work and move continuously for financial security. Living short term all across California from San Diego to Merced to Keyes to Turlock and settling in Modesto for a few years. He joins a home construction team as an apprentice and quickly learns to build houses. Eventually, he decides to pursue electrical training and receives his certificate as a maintenance technician from Modesto Junior College on May 20, 1994. He then moves his family to Fresno for two years to work as a service technician for various apartment complexes. With his family clan being too far away to support him and being a first-generation American brought with it turmoil and hardship. However, he overcame life's many obstacles and became a hardworking and strong-willed person.

In the summer of 1996, he moved his family to Fitchburg. Massachusetts and went to work at Weetabix Company in Clinton, Massachusetts in the position of maintenance technician. With a steady job and the support of his wife they built their dream home and settled there for eight years. While working at Weetabix, he continued to develop his electrical skills and received a certificate in maintenance engineering on March 8, 2002.

Since the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001 America's economy suffered and many people lost their job. It was during this time that John and his wife decided to invest in the poultry business with the benefits of running their own business and having their own land for farming and harvesting. In June 2004 amid the fall and rise of the economy they sell their house to buy a poultry farm in Cassville, Missouri. They quickly settled on the farm, updated the home, upgraded the farm, and found ways to efficiently run their business. One year passes and John is confident in letting his wife and children run the poultry farm while he worked full-time off the farm. He started at Latco, Inc. in Cassville, Missouri as a Service Technician. After one year he sought higher paying opportunities at Reliable Poultry in Neosho, MO (formerly Barnhill Poultry) as an Electrical Technician from 2005 to 2017 for 12 years.

In addition to working full time and running a poultry farm with his wife and children, John also volunteers all of his extra time to help random Hmong farmers resolve personal and technical issues on their own farms. As a result, his goodwill, generosity, and popularity grew within the Hmong communities of three neighboring states: Missouri, Arkansas, and Oklahoma. This, of course, brought with it the opportunity for him to assist the growing Southwest Missouri Hmong community in founding and expanding their non-profit organization, the Southwest Missouri Hmong Association. In 2012, John Lee was voted Vice President of the Southwest Missouri Hmong Association. He then served as president for two consecutive years in 2013 and 2014. During this time, John Lee and his wife donated and helped erect the first Hmong Community Center in Fairview, Missouri.

Some of the most peaceful times in John's life were in Missouri with his wife, Ong Chang Lee. He showed great pride in his farm and in the Hmong community that he and his wife had tirelessly cared for all their lives. John Lee once told his wife, “I am an immigrant without a family clan to support and share skills with. I work hard for what I have and work hard to help others like me. Because I hope that one day when I need help someone will come help me.” After his wife died he developed chronic health problems and decided to sell his farm to his eldest son in 2019. The last nine years of his life were spent enjoying vacations in Laos with his youngest daughter Linda Lee and his girlfriend having a fun, youthful and carefree retirement.

Services will be held from 8:00 A.M. until 2:00 P.M. Saturday, January 10, 2026 at McQueen Funeral Home in Wheaton. Burial will be at 3:00 P.M. at Maplewood Cemetery in Exeter, Missouri.Visit www.fohnfuneralhome.com for online obituaries, guestbook and private condolences

McQUEEN FUNERAL HOME
Wheaton, Missouri
417-652-7268