Mariah & Tony
Wedding Party
Mariah Pfundheller
Bride
Mariah grew up in Altoona, Wisconsin, attended college in Stevens Point, and currently resides in La Crosse, where she’s a professor at UW-L, preparing future special education teachers. Since graduating from UWSP, she has taught both Special Education and students who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing in grades pre-K through grade 12. Mariah is happiest when traveling (or planning a trip). She also enjoys gathering with friends, especially to celebrate birthdays and Halloween! Being an avid reader, she locates book conferences to attend throughout the country. She’s excited to marry Tony, the man of her dreams: he cooks, compromises, and complements her busy lifestyle with his easy-going & kind personality. She also appreciates his sense of fun and his willingness to dive in and try new adventures.
Tony Xiong
Groom
Tony Xiong grew up in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, where he earned his Bachelor’s in Kinesiology at UWEC. He went on to earn many teaching certifications along with his Masters in Education at UW-Stevens Point. Previously, he taught Special Education; currently, he teaches Physical Education at a LaCrosse Middle School— just blocks from their home. His favorite hobbies include breaking a sweat while pumping iron, coaching and playing sports (including occasionally reffing football with his favorite father-in-law), and traveling with his favorite fiance. He’s excited to marry Mariah, the woman of his dreams, as she encourages him to consider new college degrees and career adventures, new travel destinations, new costumes, new party themes, and new recipes that he can make for her!
Bun Bun (Bear)
Bunny Child of Tony and Mariah
Bun Bun, legally known as “Bear” according to his Humane Society paperwork, was adopted in 2018. He is fully litter-trained, avoids walking on hard surfaces, and greets his owners each morning, awaiting his daily treat. (Grandma Raina says he’s gifted and talented)! He lives his best cage-free life on the carpeted living room floor of the Pfundy-Xiong household.
Mai Vue Yang & Tong Xiong
Parents of the Groom
Mai was born in Vientiane Province, while Tong was born in Luang Prabang Province. Both were raised in Laos, where they spent their childhood farming and gardening with their families. They met in the Ban Vinai refugee camps after fleeing the war in 1979. From 1981 to 1983, Tong returned to Laos to serve in the Laotian military, while the family remained in the refugee camps until 1990. On December 16, 1990, they resettled in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Tong earned a degree in Air Conditioning, Heating & Refrigeration (HVACR) from CVTC but transitioned to a career in road construction, where he worked from 1995 to 2016. Mai worked in industrial laundry services at Huebsch. With their children grown, they retired and relocated to Northern California, where they now enjoy the warmer climate, hiking through redwood forests and mountains, and fishing in the Pacific Ocean.
Raina Pfundheller
Mother of the Bride
Raina grew up in Wausau. She attended UWEC to major in English and Speech education. Like Mariah, she loves gathering with family and friends, teaching, traveling, dancing, bargain shopping, gift-giving, and reading & discussing books. Mariah and Raina even both taught at EC North HS— but at different times. As an English teacher for 35 years, Raina had great fun directing plays and variety shows. After retiring, she supervised UWEC student teachers for a few years. Now fully retired, she attends book and card clubs, meets friends for lunch, and travels often. Raina loves being outdoors to bike, swim, kayak, boat, camp, & walk with neighbors. Like most mamas, she’s happiest when her whole family is together.
Boon Xiong & Mai La Yang
Oldest Brother and Sister-in-Law of the Groom
Boon is Tony’s oldest brother. He works in construction and enjoys hands-on work. When He is not with his family, you can find him outside enjoying nature—farming, gardening, working out, and tending to his livestock. Moreover, Boon always lends a helping hand to others and is insightful of everyone’s thoughts and ideas. Mai La is the wife of Boon. She’s from Milwaukee, WI, and became a part of Tony’s family when he was in 5th grade. Boon and Mai La have five beautiful and loving children. Three girls and two boys. As a mother, she is always going above and beyond to help her children and support Boon with his ambitions and endeavors.
Robert (Bob) Pfundheller
Father of the Bride
Bob grew up in Spooner, where he milked cows, played several sports, made cheese at the local creamery, and rode a motorcycle. After graduation, he even attended motorcycle mechanic school in Florida! He still enjoys annual motorcycle trips with his buddies. He continued his sports fix by coaching basketball for his three children’s traveling teams and has been officiating softball for 13 years and football for 35 years! Bob is a handyman and actually enjoys changing the oil on his kids’ cars! He taught history at Chippewa Falls Middle School---and still enjoys interacting with young folks, so he substitute teaches when he’s not traveling. Bob’s students love his “dad jokes” and middle school humor.
Moon Xiong & Youhung Her-Xiong
Brother and Sister-in-Law of the Groom
Moon is Tony's second oldest sibling and a true enthusiast of life! He loves spending time with friends and family, traveling, and indulging in his passions—cars, motorcycles, and collecting Pokémon cards 😃. Moon earned a certificate in auto mechanics and an associate degree in business management from CVTC. Now, he puts his expertise to work in the auto industry, auditing Toyota and Lexus dealerships across northern Wisconsin, Minnesota, and North Dakota. Moha is the wife of Moon. She also grew up in Eau Claire, WI. She and Moon met at DeLong Middle School but did not date until later in high school. She enjoys reading, hiking, and being in nature. Her most memorable memory of Tony and Mariah is when they first met Mariah. Mariah thought Moha’s name was niam tiaj (pronounced nia thee), which is Hmong for elder sister-in-law. It wasn’t until later when Tony called Moha by her actual name that Mariah realized her name wasn’t niam tij. :)
Dustin (Dusty) Pfundheller
Brother of Bride
Dusty, Mariah’s oldest sibling, earned his dental degree at the University of Florida—Gainesville. After graduation, he worked as a dentist in Singapore for over 6 years. On his days off, he traveled, visiting every country in the world! After returning to Florida, Dusty started his own low-cost clinic in Miami, “The Smile Mission,” working six 12-hour days every other week. On his weeks off, he’s either overseeing the opening of several new clinics in Florida or visiting a new remote area of the world. Mariah loved traveling with Dusty–laughing together as they drove in India, avoiding hitting potholes, people, and cows–or having to stop and fix flat tires at night in the Serengeti! Dusty is a risk-taker and a dream-maker!
Dao Xiong
Brother of the Groom
Dao is Tony’s third eldest brother. He works as a traveling vascular ultrasound technologist, moving from hospital to hospital across the U.S. Beyond his medical career, Dao is deeply committed to education and community service. He founded an English school in Laos dedicated to helping Hmong children learn English, providing them with opportunities to pursue higher education and break the cycle of poverty. In his free time, he is currently trading with prop firms in the futures market. With big dreams and ongoing projects aimed at helping others worldwide, Dao is grateful for the family he grew up with and the path his life has taken. He gives thanks to God and Jesus for the many blessings in his journey.
Ryan Pfundheller
Brother of Bride
Ryan, the middle child, affectionately refers to Mariah as Pipsqueak. He’s a dentist like his brother, but dentistry was his idea first! He earned his Dental degree from the University of Minnesota and owns a dental clinic “Smile Plus” in Woodbury. Living on Tainter Lake in Menomonie, he and his wife Becky enjoy boating, waterskiing, making music, playing instruments, and singing with friends and family. Like the rest of the Pfundhellers, Ryan and Becky enjoy traveling to new destinations and spending time basking in Miami’s sun. Ryan enjoys playing many sports and watching sports live, especially tennis, so he often arranges vacations around watching professional tennis tournaments. Tennis is also Ryan’s favorite activity to play with Mariah, especially now that he can finally beat her!
Xee Xiong
Older Sister of Groom
Xee earned her Bachelor’s from UWEC and shortly pursued her Master’s degree in Social Work with a concentration in Integrated Behavioral Health Care from the University of St. Thomas. As a clinical social worker, she is passionate about helping others and making a positive impact in the field of mental health. In her free time, she enjoys running, cooking, golfing, hiking, and traveling. She embraces both adventure and relaxation, always finding joy in new experiences. She is incredibly happy for Tony and Mariah’s marriage, having instantly found Mariah to be warm and welcoming. She admires how both are able to inspire each other to succeed both professionally and academically. Their shared love for adventure and travel makes them a wonderful couple, and she especially loves how they always find ways to make each other laugh.
Rebecca (Becky) Pfundheller
Sister-in-Law of Bride
Becky is Mariah’s favorite sister-in-law! As a math major from UW-River Falls, Becky previously worked as an actuary, but now she’s a data analyst for Wells Fargo in Minneapolis. Some of Mariah’s favorite memories with Becky include dancing up a storm at Becky’s bachelorette party, the Pfundheller family freezing and huddling together at an unusually cold Packer game (in Miami!), renting an RV in Alaska camping and site-seeing along with Becky’s brother Eric and his wife Kendra, and a Pfundheller family Christmas cruise to Mexico, in which we often relaxed in the evening by playing cards. One night, we saved Tony's score sheet because he was so proud and excited about beating us all!
Phanat Xiong and Tifanie Moua
Brother of the Groom and His Partner
Phanat and Tifanie briefly lived on the same street, only a few doors down from each other but weren’t fated to meet until High School. Phanat graduated from CVTC in 2015 and works in radiology at Mayo. He loves his sports cars and working in his shop during his down time. Tifanie graduated from UWEC and is an entrepreneur. She also works as an administrative assistant at a local Interior Design Company. Their favorite memory of Mariah was during a family gathering. A family member was signing, and Mariah had hopped right into the conversation without skipping a beat. Our appreciation for Mariah stems from her love for people and her kind heart. Thankful for such a beautiful addition to the family.
Guiming Xiong
Groom’s Youngest Sibling
Guiming is Tony’s youngest sibling. He is a passionate young animator who loves bringing characters to life through his art. Whether he’s crafting fluid animations or designing motion for games, he finds joy in creating immersive experiences. In his free time, he enjoys playing games or animating for them, blending his hobbies with his creative skills. Set to graduate from high school in May 2025, he is eager to pursue a future in animation or a career that allows him to help others. With his dedication and artistic vision, he hopes to make a meaningful impact in the world, whether through storytelling, game design, or a path that supports and inspires people.