Panukoochi Vah

Panukoochi May Vah of Coon Rapids, MN passed away peacefully in her daughter’s home on January 17, 2020 in Cottage Grove, WI at the age of 54.

Panukoochi was born on October 12, 1965 in Vang Vieng, Province Vientiane, Laos to Chouseng Vang and Tru Moua Vang. She grew up as the eldest of six and graduated from Arsenal Technical High School. She married Lue Vue in 1983 and the couple had five children. She graduated from Edgewood College in 1997 with a Bachelor of Science in Sociology and from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1999 with a Master in Social Work.

Panukoochi was a bilingual resource for the Sheboygan School District for the first six years of her marriage. While furthering her education and raising her children, she worked for the City of Madison Public Health Department. After graduate school, she worked as a Psychotherapist for South Central Mental Health and then branched off to work at Kajsiab House in Madison, WI.

In 2005, she became an Independent Interpreter Contractor for the UW Hospital and resigned her social work role. She moved to Milwaukee, WI to work for the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families in 2007. In 2009, her marriage ended and she took time off work and traveled. She eventually relocated to the Twin Cities area in 2013 and became a Behavioral Therapist for NorthPoint Health and Wellness in Minneapolis, MN. She earned her social work license and continued her passion of helping her clients.

Panukoochi is survived by her father, Chouseng Vang; siblings, Hua Vang Dodson, Tou Vang, Xeng Karns, Xay Vang, and Joy Vang Yang; children, Katrina Vue, Christina Vue, Joshua Vue, Francesca Vue, and Jeremiah Vue. She is preceded in death by her mother, Tru Moua Vang.

A funeral service is scheduled for February 8, 2020 at Bradshaw Funeral Home, 4600 Greenhaven Dr, White Bear Lake, MN 55127, from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Pastor Nhiabee Vang will officiate the ceremony. All are welcome to attend and celebrate Panukoochi’s life. The family would like to thank HealthPartners Hospice of Minneapolis, Minnesota and Heartland Hospice of Madison, Wisconsin for the care she received.