Bui Thi Nguyen's Obituary
Nguyen Thi Bui was born in Ba Lang, Thanh Hoa, Viet Nam on July 20, 1933. Her parents were Thai and Gian Nguyen, and she was the youngest daughter of seven children. She met her would-be husband, Nguyen Duc Gioi, at Ba Lang, Thanh Hoa Vietnam.
She became mother to nine (Nguyen Duc Hung, Nguyen Thi Hong, Nguyen Thi Kim Tuyen, Nguyen Thuy Nga, Nguyen Hung Son, Nguyen Duc Chinh, Nguyen Thu Lieu, Nguyen Bich Phuong, and Nguyen Mong Trang). Tuyen and Hung passed away in infancy. During the siege of Ba Lang, she along with many other parishioners defended the town’s Catholic Church until they were eventually overrun by the Communist solders. Her husband was captured and sent to re-education camp. She left North Vietnam along with her husband’s family and an infant child to seek freedom in South Vietnam in 1954.
After the fall of Saigon, the family joined several hundreds of thousands of other Vietnamese men and women who attempted to flee their homeland by boat. Three days into the journey, scared and starving, the captain of the small fishing boat suggested turning back. She firmly stood up, and threatened to jump if he did so, the fishing boat captain understood that she was serious and continued the course to find freedom.
They eventually made their way to Guam, where the family waited entry to the United States of America. It was on this humble island that she discovered she was pregnant with her youngest. They were sponsored over by St. Paul Presbyterian Church with Reverend Eugene Bickel, his wife, Bernice Bickel, and their congregation. The family flew to Evansville, Indiana, where they began their new life.
Following Evansville, the family moved to Seadrift, TX, where they met up with her husband’s extended family, and began working as a fisherman. It was during this period in Seadrift that the family struggled with local discrimination. Following Seadrift, the family finally settled in Dallas, TX.
There are no words that can begin to describe how much we will miss the glue that (still) holds our family together. She was tougher than nails, and had a heart of pure gold.
Though life threw her unfathomable obstacles—one challenge after the other—she overcame with the hope of granting her children and future generations a life full of opportunities, and free from strife. She has succeeded at that and so much more. Time and time again, her strength was our saving grace. She did it all with the most brilliant smile on her face and with love in her heart. She made perseverance look easy, and was grateful to be able to be our rock.
She left this world in a room that was overflowing with the many people that she raised, supported, and fiercely loved. Hand-in-hand, she prayed with us. Until her last breath, her life was dedicated to her family and to God. Though her body failed her, her love for us did not. Her spirit was never weakened, and her faith never trembled.
The only thing that can begin to mend our heavy, broken hearts is the vision of her and Ông holding hands once again, looking down at all they have built together.
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“Do the ordinary with extraordinary love.” – St. Theresa of Avila
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