Phra Ajahn Suwat Suvaco (1919-2002) ordained at the age of 20 and became a student of Ajahn Funn Acaro two or three years later. He also studied briefly with Ajahn Mun. Following Ajahn Funn's death in 1977, Ajahn Suwat stayed on at the monastery to supervise his teacher's royal funeral and the construction of a monument and museum in Ajahn Funn's honor. In the 1980's Ajaan Suwat came to the United States, where he established four monasteries: one near Seattle, Washington; two near Los Angeles; and one in the hills of San Diego County (Metta Forest Monastery). He returned to Thailand in 1996, and died in Buriram on April 5, 2002 after a long illness.