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AULANDER – Lan Thi Rawls passed away on Monday, February 21, 2023 in Aulander, NC. She was born on February 7, 1943 in Vietnam to her father, Nguyễn Văn Viêm and mother, Dương Thị Vẻ. In 1975, she emigrated to the United States at the end of the Vietnam War and settled in Aulander after meeting her husband, Robert McCoy Rawls. She and Robert welcomed their daughter, Cathy in June 1976. In 1982, their family grew as Lan’s three daughters, Nancy, Amanda, and Frances, from a previous marriage were finally reunited after years of separation due to the war.

Many remember Lan working in her flower garden, something that brought her much joy and comfort. If she wasn’t in the garden, she would be working on house repairs, painting, or climbing on top of the roof to lay tar.

She also loved sewing, which can be seen in all the beautiful things she hand-made, from curtains to bedding to Christmas stockings.

To know Lan, was to love her. She was a person that touched so many people’s hearts, whether it was through a fun conversation or bringing food to a neighbor. When she got to a point in which she couldn’t visit others anymore, she ALWAYS made sure that whoever came by the house for a visit that they left with a Mountain Dew and some cookies. That is who she was. Her whole life was devoted to her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She did her best to build a foundation in which all her family knew how much she loved them.

Lan was preceded in death by her parents, both husbands, and brother, Nguyễn Đức Chính. She is survived by her daughters, Nancy (Mai) Lan Rawls of Houston, Texas; Amanda (Hue) Lan Rawls of Charleston, South Carolina; Frances (Thanh) Rawls of Houston, Texas; and Cathy Lan Lapid and husband, Patrick Lapid of Alexandria, Virginia; grandchildren, Shannon Quoc Thai and wife, Benetta Thai of Raleigh, North Carolina; Tiffany Thanh Thai and husband, Zach Hanna of Houston, Texas; Faye Thanh Thai of Houston, Texas; Xavier McCoy Lapid and Joshua Văn Lapid of Alexandria, Virginia; great-grandchildren, Joseph Tim Thai, Sophia Benetta Thai, Benjamin Tim Thai, and Phoebe Benetta Thai, all of Raleigh, North Carolina; Audrey Xuan Hanna of Houston, Texas; siblings, Nguyễn Văn Liêm of Westminister, California; Nguyễn Văn Công of Tustin, California; Nguyễn Văn Bằng of Irvine, California; Nguyễn Thị Ngoan of Orange, California; and Nguyễn Văn An of Westminister, California; sister-in-law, Mary Hunt and husband Bobby Hunt of Aulander, North Carolina.

A public viewing will be held on Friday, March 3, 2023 at Garrett-Sykes Funeral Service, Ahoskie, NC in which the family will be receiving friends from 5-7 p.m.

A funeral mass service will be held at Saint Charles Borromeo Catholic Church at TBA on Saturday, March 4, 2023 in Ahoskie, North Carolina with Father Robert Schmid presiding.

Flowers can be sent to the funeral home or memorial donations can be sent to Saint Charles Borromeo Catholic Church, PO Box 605, Ahoskie, NC 27910 or online by visiting tmcfunding/search fund, type Lan Rawls.

Garrett-Sykes Funeral Services of Ahoskie is handling arrangements for the Rawls family and online condolences can be directed to the family by visiting www.garrettsykesfs.com.