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Thai immigrants' lifeline among 4 dead

By ABBIE VANSICKLE and KEVIN GRAHAM
Published January 17, 2007

She made a strange land a home, first for herself, then for hundreds more.

From Tampa Bay to Punta Gorda, Pranom Crist fed Thai immigrants the foods they knew. She taught them to drive. She helped with paperwork to bring relatives to the United States.

"She was basically their leader," said her daughter, Angela Cohen.

Now, the Thai community grieves. Crist and three friends, Agustin Valdes, 91, Khanthong Valdes, 41, and Thongjan Kongtan, 73, died Monday when their car turned in front of a loaded gas tanker in Sarasota County, said the Florida Highway Patrol.

Tanker driver Stephen E. Bliss, 55, of Kenneth City braked but couldn't stop, troopers say.

The four had headed south for a fishing trip near Venice, Cohen said. Crist lived in Valrico; the others, in Brandon. They all attended a Buddhist temple in Palm River. Crist had promised fresh talapia.

Cohen said Crist had recently helped Agustin Valdes come to the United States from Thailand.

Crist knew that journey. She arrived more than three decades ago, the wife of an American serviceman. But she always held close to the traditions of home. Crist's family and friends describe her as a warm, friendly woman, who blended her past and her present. She taught Thai dancing and delighted in cooking, blending the foods of her old and new homes. She was a fixture at the temple's Thai food market, but she could also whip up a mean deviled egg.

Crist had degrees in nursing, art and cosmetology and was a stylist at Upper Cut salon in Valrico. She also put her talents to use at the temple, helping Thai women prepare for beauty pageants.

Crist had two sons, Michael Lynn in Kansas and Gary Lee in Mississippi. Crist's family will have a private service. Crist and her friends also will be remembered at a public service at 7 tonight at temple Wat Mongkolratanaram, 5306 Palm River Road.

Researcher John Martin contributed to this report.

[Last modified January 17, 2007, 00:23:39]