Obituary of Thul Be

Thul Be Our beloved Thul Be, age 64, suddenly passed on Saturday, May 3, 2014 in the emergency room of Provena Saint Joseph Medical Center in Joliet, IL. Thul was born January 6, 1950 to Soth Phan and Kong Be in Cambodia, the youngest son of eight children. As a young man, Thul completed his academic career at Sisowath in Phnom Penh and served as a naval officer in the Cambodian Navy under Commander Vuth Hing. Given the high regards and respect that Commander Vuth had for him, he accepted Thul's proposal to his eldest daughter, Chanly. In 1971, Thul married Chanly, the love of his life, and they had three beautiful children: Sovira, Lakinna and Dinna. In 1975 to escape the war, Thul relocated the family to the United States. They settled first in Fargo, North Dakota where he proudly served in the U.S. National Guard. After some urging from friends visiting from Wisconsin, the family decided to relocate to the suburbs of Chicago to be a part of a bigger community. The Be family established their roots in the Wheaton area where Thul furthered his studies in engineering. This proved to be the start of his prosperous engineering career, where he founded and owned a successful manufacturing business, Betech. They resided in DuPage County for the next 20 years of which Thul was an active member of the Cambodian Association and was a well-known and respected figure in the Khmer community. In 1999, Thul moved his business to the west coast where he happily retired in the company of his wife. Longing to be near family and friends, they returned back to Illinois in 2013, where his wife's extended family currently reside. Thul is survived by his wife, Chanly; son and daughter in law, Sovira and Amparo; daughter Lakinna; son Dinna; sisters, Sokunthea and Theavy, and brothers, Sim and Soeung; and many other loving nieces, nephews, and relatives. Thul was a devoted father, loving husband, cherished brother and adoring uncle who will always be remembered for being the most affectionate, sweet and kind person. His love had no limits and his charming smile made his happiness contagious for those that were fortunate to know him. He had a never-ending love for the arts and his strong music passion was always apparent in his talents. We will always remember his funny and witty stories and the knowledge and advice he gave us. Our days without him will be difficult and it will take a long time for us to heal, but his fond memories will forever be engraved in our hearts. We know he will give us the strength from above to carry on his love. We will proudly carry on his legacy. Service for Thul Be will be held on Saturday, May 10, 2014 at 10:00 a.m. at the Fred C. Dames Funeral Home, 3200 Black at Essington Rds., Joliet. Interment Woodlawn Memorial Park. Visitation Friday, 4-9 p.m. at the funeral home. For more information, please contact (815) 741-5500.