Obituary: Lo Pao Vang fought communists, then gangs

Lo Pao Vang, a leader in the Sacramento Hmong community who worked with grass-roots organizers to establish a counseling center for truant students in the Sacramento City Unified School District, died Sept. 14. He was 59. The cause was a stroke, said his son, Kao Vang.

Lo Pao Vang was a warrior who fought communists as a young man in his native Laos and battled crime and apathy as a parent in Sacramento. Despite language and cultural obstacles, he took an active role in his children's education and pushed for help to keep young people in school and out of gangs.

Two years ago, he joined Sacramento Area Congregations Together, a community-based group, in an effort to stem a rash of gang-related shootings in south Sacramento. The crime took a personal toll on his family when a teenage son who became chronically truant and spent time with gang members was arrested and charged with the shooting of a rival gang member.

A widower and father of seven children, Mr. Vang became a vocal advocate for Hmong parents. As an active member of Sacramento ACT, he met regularly with city and school officials in support of a proposed counseling program for habitually truant students. He produced a video on keeping students out of gangs and encouraged other Hmong parents to get more involved in their children's activities.

"He was at all the meetings, working with us," police Capt. Daniel Hahn said. "He was adamant in saying that we needed to do something to save our kids from gangs and violence."

Serving as a bridge between cultures, Mr. Vang played a key role in the opening last year of the Student Attendance Improvement Center at Luther Burbank High School, organizers said. The program includes social workers who meet with students and families to find causes and solutions to truancy.

"He was somebody who, even though he didn't understand the language and culture of this country, made change," said Neng Vang of Sacramento Area Congregations Together. "He was a quiet man -- but when he spoke, he spoke with authority."

Lo Pao Vang was born in 1948 in Laos, his son said. At age 13, he joined the U.S. Army Special Forces fighting communists in Laos and rose to the rank of sergeant, Neng Vang said. In 1979, Lo Pao Vang immigrated to the United States and lived in Denver before relocating to Sacramento. His wife, Se Xiong Vang, died in 2005.

Mr. Vang hunted deer in Colorado and enjoyed spending time with his family, his son said. He spoke little about his life in Laos, focusing instead on creating a better future for his family in the United States, his son said.

"He was a good-hearted man who helped a lot of people, even though he didn't have much education," Kao Vang said. "This is our tradition, to help each other. That's what he did."

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• The Bee's Robert D. Dávila can be reached at (916) 321-1077 or bdavila@sacbee.com.