Young How Ea

Young How Ea, 85, of Asheville, NC, passed away on December 7, 2025. He was born on July 24, 1940, in Battambang, Cambodia. Out of 7 boys and 3 girls, he was the third born to Kem Ea and Sim Ung.

Young How made Asheville his home for the past 44 years, most recently residing at Gerber Village Apartments, Givens Estates, and Givens Gerber Park. He retired from Medical Action and was well known for his love of traveling, walking, meeting neighbors, sharing conversations, and enjoying meals with family and friends.

He was a man deeply proud of the independent life he built here in Asheville. After surviving communism and concentration camps because of the Khmer Rouge Regime, with just the clothes on his back, he immigrated to the United States in 1981 and then proudly became a US citizen in October 1989. Young How was a devoted brother and uncle. Though he did not have children of his own, he often spoke of his brother’s children with great affection and loved them as if they were his own. He was a faithful Christian and for many years was a member of the First Baptist Church of Asheville.

Young How is survived by his brother, Khy Hao Ear (Susan Ear) of Asheville, NC; his niece, Lisa Ear (Jay Rector) of Asheville, NC; and his nephew, Walter Ear (Alisha Ear) of Asheville, NC.

A celebration of his life will be held on January 31, 2026, from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM at Givens Gerber Park, Building 40, Commons Room. The gathering will be informal—an opportunity for those who knew and loved him to come together, share memories, and honor his life. Refreshments will be provided.

The family will distribute his ashes in the mountains he cherished.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Young How Ea, please visit our floral store.