Khuyen Thi Hudson

Khuyen “Quinn” Thi Hudson (Hoang), 72, of Ogallala, passed away Tuesday, December 3 at Good Samaritan Hospital in Kearney, NE. Khuyen was born on May 6, 1947 in An Toan, North Vietnam, southwest of the harbor city of Hai Phong, to Cho and Ruyen (Nguyen) Hoang. She was the eighth of twelve children (four direct and seven half siblings).

After the communist Viet Minh defeated the French at Dien Bien Phu in the spring of 1954, Khuyen, then 7 years old, and her family gave up everything they had, including a family farm, to move to South Vietnam with nearly 800,000 Vietnamese during the US-led Operation Passage to Freedom. Her family settled in Ho Nai, near the city of Saigon. Khuyen attended school through 6th grade before having to drop out to help support her family. She attended sewing school at night and studied English in classes taught by the US Army.

Khuyen met her husband, Tim, at Long Bien Army Base in 1970, where she was employed and where Tim was stationed with the US Army. After Tim’s discharge from the Army the couple married in 1971, and unsure if she would ever see her family again, the couple moved to Ogallala. She returned to Vietnam to visit only once in 1996. Two of her younger sisters, Chuyen and Thay Hoang, later joined her and moved to Ogallala in 1991.

Khuyen dedicated her life to being a devoted wife and mother to nine children. She loved spending time with her 25 grandchildren and was devout in practicing her Catholic faith. She enjoyed cooking for her family, sewing, gardening and was actively involved with St. Luke’s Catholic Church. She also had a strong passion for philanthropy, consistently donating to numerous charities every year, mostly aimed towards helping children and the poor. Many remember Khuyen’s beautiful singing voice at Sunday mass.

She is survived by her husband of 48 years, Tim Hudson of Ogallala, her nine children, Scotty Hudson of Broomfield, CO, Jeanie (James) Herman of Ogallala, Tammy (Will) Reutzel of Shelton, NE, Brenda Chase of Mitchell, NE, Terry Hudson of Waikiki, HI, Mary (Chad) Keller of Parker, CO, Laurie (Randy) Sukup of Lincoln, NE, Andrew (Tracie) Hudson of Manhattan, KS, Joe Hudson of Durham, NC, 24 grandchildren, two sisters Chuyen and Thay Hoang of Ogallala, NE and one brother in Vietnam.

She is in preceded in death by her parents, Cho and Ruyen Hoang, her in-laws Daniel and Vitula Hudson, an infant grandson, Ryder Chase, and several of her brothers in Vietnam.

Visitation will be held Tuesday, December 10, 2019 from 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. in the Draucker Funeral Home Chapel.

A rosary will be recited, Tuesday December 10, 2019 at 6:00 p.m. at the St. Luke’s Catholic Church in Ogallala.

A Mass of The Christian Burial will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, December 11, 2019 at  the St. Luke’s Catholic Church with Father Bryan Ernest officiating. Burial will follow at the Ogallala Cemetery. 

The family asks the memorials to be made to St. Luke’s Catholic School in lieu of flowers. 

Online condolences may be left by signing the Guest Book at www.drauckerfuneralhome.com. The services  will be live streamed. 

Draucker Funeral Home has been entrusted with arrangements.