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Phuah, Katherine

April 22, 1945 –
 August 27, 2017

Obituary

Katherine Phuah was a beautiful loving wife to husband David Phuah.  She was a caring mother to not just Han Phuah and Elaine Phuah, but to everyone whose lives she has touched.  She was an amazing self-taught chef specializing in Malaysian Chinese home cooking.  She was also a masterful hair stylist, seamstress, housekeeping director, and artist.  Katherine will be remembered for her amazing kindness to others, her selfless acts of putting others first before herself, and her ability to inspire others to better themselves through self-discipline and will power. Born in a small town in Malaysia called Bagan Serai, Katherine was one of nine children. She was the youngest daughter amongst six daughters. Growing up in the small town, there was no access to basic health care. As a child of 6 years old and without antibiotics, she had recurrent strep throat that went on for about 3 years, which lead to heart disease. By the time she saw an Indian doctor at a nearby town, she was told she had a hole in her heart. This health condition would not deter my father’s love. The hole in her heart was filled with joy and happiness by those around her and especially the day when she met my father. He met her by coincidence when she was 18 years old in Penang and instantly fell in love. That moment sparked the beginning of a loving partnership that would last 50 years. She was married to David on May 1, 1974. Her two children, Han and Elaine, were born in Penang in 1978 and 1982, respectively. She has succeeded in life through many very difficult challenges including her health issues and learning how to cope with living in a foreign country away from familiar faces.  Katherine and her husband David, embarked on a long journey from Malaysia to the United States in 1986 when she was 36 years old.  The journey to the United States was fueled by Katherine and David’s desire to provide better opportunities to their children, Han and Elaine.  Both Katherine and David came to this country with nothing in their pockets but the few articles of clothing on their back and the hope to create a better life for their family. Katherine would spend multiple years working physical labor for a mere $3 per hour, but it was a labor of love that she provided to her family. With no prior experience or formal higher education beyond high school, she began work as a housekeeper for hotels. Initially, her manager was skeptical due to her small size and assumed that she would not be successful; however, she developed revolutionary methods in cleaning hotel rooms such that she was eventually nicknamed “Speedy Gonzales” by her peers for being able to clean up to 36 rooms in 8 hours. She picked up on budgeting, scheduling, and payroll by watching her supervisor and it was slowly evident that she was more fit to be a leader rather than a housekeeper. Through sheer determination and will power, Katherine was eventually able to climb the hotel corporate ladder to ultimately become the Director of Housekeeping for Wyndham and Double Tree Hotels, a position often left for college educated individuals.  She even had time and the skills to sew the holes in our clothes and cut our hair. Katherine has always been an extremely conscientious individual in everything she sets her mind to. Her sacrifices would enable her to provide the support necessary for both her children to pursue higher education and successful careers in medicine and technology. Katherine was not only driven to succeed in the hospitality industry, she was also simultaneously successful as a loving wife and mother to her husband and children privately at home. After each long day of work during the work week, she would come home to prepare a full meal including 3-4 dishes to eat with rice. Each and every day there were freshly stir-fried/steamed/baked/stewed dishes. The incredible feat of being able to work as a full-time professional and also a homemaker makes Katherine such a uniquely successful individual to anyone who has ever met her. After retirement, her utmost passion in food was left to blossom like an orchid. She began to make even more complex, old-world Malaysian Chinese cuisines and even experimented with Korean kimchee making. She grew orchids, herbs, and fruits. She started going to the gym doing resistance training and developing interest in yoga. All while regularly going to her doctor’s appointments and taking her medications on time. Katherine will be dearly missed by everyone, especially her husband, David and children, Han and Elaine.  She will forever be loved by everyone who knows her and her memories will live on in tales that will be passed to the next Phuah generation.  Katherine lived a beautiful life full of wonderful memories created with loved ones.  She has left an unmistakable mark in everyone’s lives who calls her friend, wife, or mother. Katherine is now free from suffering from illnesses and life issues.  Her soul will now transcend to the Lord’s Heaven and the Lord will welcome her gentle soul with arms wide open.  Katherine will now join our ancestors in a peaceful passing.  May her soul rest in peace for all eternity. A service to celebrate the life of Katherine Phuah of Garland, Texas will begin the family receiving friends at 10:00 A.M. and service following at 10:30 A.M., on Wednesday, August 30, 2017 at ARIA Chapel in Dallas. Arrangements are under the direction of ARIA Cremation Service and Funeral Home 10116 E. Northwest Highway Dallas, Texas 75238 214-340-8008  

    Yeoh Ju Seang
    29 Aug 2017
    5:43pm

    To my beloved & dearest aunt Katherine,
    May you rest in peace in the safest arm of God. You will be missed forever.

    Bibiana Ang, Ernest & Ana Kim
    29 Aug 2017
    8:47pm

    Our heartfelt condolences to Cheow Ko, Elaine and Han. Although we feel the loss, we know heaven rejoices as angels welcome Katherine Chi into God’s eternal kingdom.

    Soon Wah Ong
    30 Aug 2017
    8:10am

    To my beloved and dearest Aunt Katherine.
    You are a pillar of strength to all those whose lives you have touched through your resourcefulness and positive can do attitude towards life.
    I will always remember and cherish your labor of love during my period of recuperation in Chai Leng Park.
    Your rational thinking and words of encouragement have deeply touched the lives of both Linda and I.
    May you rest in peace and find comfort in the warm embrace of God. We will miss you.

    Linda & Soon Wah

    Eddie Ang and Brenda Lai
    30 Aug 2017
    6:05pm

    My condolences to Ah Cheow, Elaine and Han. May Katherine rest in peace. We will miss you.

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"Excellent customer service, they made you feel like you were their only customer. Very helpful and explained what we should expect during the process. They basically took care of our needs during this time. They contacted DFW National Cemetery for us which made it a smooth experience. Definitely will use them again."
K. Barker
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"I was amazed how professional the team at Aria Funeral Preston Dallas Texas are. They guided me through the process and my options of their services that they offered for my mother. They are compassionate, caring, calm, good listener, efficient and did an excellent job! Thank you!"
R. Woll
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"If I could give 6 stars I would. Aria made a difficult easier to deal with by basically taking care of everything in an efficient but very empathetic manner. I can speak highly enough of Dusty Martin, who helped us with all of the planning and logistics. He was incredibly understanding and helpful."
Angel M.
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"Nothing prepares you for the grief you go through when losing a child. I called this funeral home at 2:00 am broken and could barely talk. The amount of compassion and empathy they showed me immediately let me know I found the right place to cremate my son. I cannot thank them enough for their professionalism, SINCERE concern, and commitment to making sure my son was honored in the most respectful way. I hope this Funeral home values her as much as my family and I do."
McGee Family
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"Wayne and Staff, thank you for taking care of the arrangements for our mom, Exter McGee and our dad, Philip McGee. You have been great to work with during such a difficult time."
Elledge Family
Elledge Family
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"On behalf of my family, I wanted you to know how much we appreciate your handling of my husband's final arrangements. Wayne Baxter assisted & guided us through the entire process with such care & compassion. Don't know what we would have done without him! Sincerely, Colleen Elledge"
The Peterson Family
The Peterson FamilyYelp! Review - Northwest Highway 5-Stars
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"I can’t say enough about how helpful and professional Dusty Martin, the funeral director at the Aria Cremation location on NW Highway has been. From my initial call, he was kind and informative. My friend died at home while on hospice and she was picked up in about an hour after receiving the call from the hospice nurse. The person who arrived to pick her up was also very professional/respectful and allowed us to take as much time with her as we wished. When I met with Dusty the next day about arrangements, he explained the process and options available without being pushy or trying to “sell” extras. Throughout the process, he kept me informed and, for example, was careful to be certain I understood the cost of the obituary I wanted and offered some options for reducing that cost if I wished. When I stopped by for another reason and started talking about some of the problems I was having with the pictures and media I hoped to use at a memorial lunch I was planning, he not only listened patiently but offered technology advice and let me use his personal media player. I have had experience arranging cremations for four others using two other local companies, and this experience with Dusty at Aria has been by far the best one I have had."
Paula Barnes
Paula BarnesGoogle Review
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"My Daddy’s service and our family experience at Aria Northwest Highway was truly blessed. Funeral Director Dustin Martin is the kind of person that you would like to see on a more regular basis – but in his industry – you hope to not see him that often. That being said – THANK YOU DUSTIN for your unending kindness, compassion and friendship through the process. Meeting you and discussing Dallas History, Find A Grave and my Dad’s lifelong contributions to the great City of Dallas was simply wonderful! In memory of my dad James A. Dodd, Sr. – I want to personally thank you and let you know that you made everything better in that moment. Your calling to “Be There” is spot on. Aria has a one in a million guy in you! Bling Blinky of TEXAS Shout Out: God Bless You!!"
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  1. If death has occurred and or is imminent, please call the Aria location nearest you.

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