Hoa Nguyen's Obituary
Duty, decency, reliability, honor, dignity, respect: these are all qualities that my father not only held in high esteem, but practiced every day during his time on this earth.He was a serious and disciplined man, but he could never resist the opportunity to have a laugh with friends and loved ones.He saw a lot during his lifetime: a world ravaged by war, (he was himself served in the armed forces in Vietnam), and an uncertain world with the Cold War, the Oil Crisis, and Iraq all understandably influencing his views on the post-war world in which he himself grew up and, later, raised his own family. He had worked very hard to help not only his family, but also help his friends to have better life.Hoa Nguyen, was born and raised in Vietnam during the war during South and North Vietnam. He immigrated in the United States in 1972 as a refugee. During this time, he learned and become a professional air condition technician and had help to teach and transferred his work knowledge and experiences to friends who want to become one and make a good living.They marriage—He experienced several marriage to find a right one for him. Lucky enough, he married Lan Vo in 1999 —and remained happily together for over half a centuryWhen free of their parental responsibilities, Dad would whisk Mum off for going to Vietnam as their mother land vacation and remind the sweet time that they met first time.As a father of five children with different characteristics, he always guarded them to become a good person in life. He is straight forward with what he believe is good for their future success. He is very fair to punish when we made mistake but also rewarded when we learned a good lesson from our mistake.Dad was a straightforward man who demanded little from those around him, and who expected only the best for his five children.Provided he heard regularly from us all—and saw us whenever possible—he was content.And although in his final years, we’d all moved on to different parts of the world, that bond was never broken.To me, Dad’s finest quality was his patience: an inherent ability to listen, to absorb and to offer a point of view based on quiet, measured wisdom.I’ll never forget the time when I asked him what I should do about having to move overseas for my career: “Do what you feel, what you believe is right. Follow your gut, your heart, and you can’t go wrong.”It’s difficult to imagine him not being around and I’m not sure how we will all cope.The grandchildren, Quan, Huy, Bao will miss him dearly.Hoa Nguyen lived a long and happy life, and only succumbed to ill health right at the very end.He was an imposing figure of a man, a tall, dark, handsome character whose reassuring presence we all felt during difficult times.As we gather here today to remember and commemorate his life, let bid him farewell as we mourn the loss of a lively, dignified soul.A soul that brought joy and fulfillment to many, and whose legacy will live on forever.
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