Anna Tseng

The Year of Rabbit 1963

Anna Chin-Ming Tseng, beloved wife, sister, daughter, and aunt, passed away peacefully at the age of 59 in Saint Paul, Minnesota surrounded by her loving family, friends and her husband Minnesota State Senator Foung Hawj.

Anna Tseng was born in the Year of the Rabbit in Taipei, Taiwan as the fourth child of five siblings. Her father, a native of Hubei China, first moved to Taiwan after WW2, had a career in the military and retired at the rank of Major General. Her mother, a native of Hunan China, moved to Taiwan in her late teens, worked for the US Military Advisory and Assistance Group. They moved their family to the US in April of 1980.

Anna grew up as a rambunctious daughter with a quick wit and an enthusiastic student at Wesley Girls High School in Taipei. She loved violin, oboe, math, English and meteorology. After immigrating to the United States, Anna attended Shawnee Mission West High in Kansas and graduated in 1981, then graduated from University of Kansas (KU) with her Bachelor’s in Computer Science in 1986 and her Master’s in Business Administration in 1988.

Anna Tseng met her husband Foung Hawj in February 1987 at a Chinese Lunar New Year’s celebration in Lawrence, Kansas and became life-long partners when they made St. Paul their home in 1992, followed by their public unification of love in 2006.

Anna was employed by the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Kansas City, MO as an Assistant to the Consul General of Taiwan 1988-1991, Minnesota Ramsey County 1995-1999, and by the Minnesota State Department of Revenue as a Revenue Tax Specialist-Certified Assessor 2003-2013, and in retirement she served two terms as a Board Member of the Phalen Lake Townhome Association 2015 – 2019.

She also helped Foung with endless initiatives for Hmong and Asian communities, including being a production crew for the first Hmong television program Kev Koom Siab (Path to Unity).

Although she was quite private, Anna supported Foung’s public activities and political career without exception leading him to become the Minnesota State Senator for District 67 in East Side St. Paul in 2013 and to the present.

Anna was known for her humility and quiet nature, her beautiful smile, and her special brand of didactic humor. She was a sensible and caring person who preferred a simple life. She enjoyed theater, arts and culture shows, classical music, dining with live jazz music, watching fireworks, traveling long distances for quality meals, and driving through the city mainly East Side St. Paul during fall and winter to look at Halloween and Christmas decorations by neighbors. Her favorite novels included the Little Women, Harry Potter series, and Pride and Prejudice. Her favorite movie or TV shows included The Nanny, The Golden Girls and the Sound of Music. She loved nature, people watching and was happy to live in the East Side St. Paul with her husband, Foung Hawj.

ANNA TSENG MEMORIAL FUND

Foung Hawj PO Box 600336 St. Paul, MN 55106

Paypal.me/AnnaFoung

VENMO @founghawj