Thi Nguyen

Thi Thi Nguyen, Buddhist name Dieu Man, maiden name Nguyen Thi Nguyet, departed her loving family on June 3, 2022.  All who loved her dearly will never forget her selflessness, passion for music and nature, strength, tenacity, quickness to help those in need, humor, and unpretentious spirit.  Thi was born one of nine children in Vinh Long, Viet Nam in 1923.  In the 1940s, she moved to Sai Gon where she met her husband Thon Phan.  They moved to Hue then eventually settled in Hoc Mon back near Sai Gon.  She raised eleven children with love and devotion.  As a lifelong entrepreneur, she ran a general store, a restaurant, and a rental service for a fleet of cars.  In 1992, Thi immigrated to the United States with her husband and three of her adult children.  She enjoyed watching Vietnamese folk operas and Hong Kong dynasty dramas with martial arts dubbed in Vietnamese.  Her hobbies included gardening, designing and sewing her own clothes, cooking, and playing her đàn kìm.  She played traditional and original lute songs at home to relax and also loved to entertain by performing at large celebrations.  Thi became a U.S. citizen and enjoyed her retirement with 3 generations of family.  In her 30 years in the U.S., she was an adoring pillar of support for her American grandchildren and great-grandchildren, joyfully attending milestones spanning births to bat mitzvah to weddings.  Most recently, she was present for the senior prom sendoff of her beloved 17-year old granddaughter Rachel.

She is survived by her children Long (Phuong) Phan, Dr. An (Thu) Phan, Tuyet (Hung) Pham, Hong Nhung (Jim) Kennedy, Hung (Chien) Phan, Dr. Vinh (Diem) Phan, 37 grandchildren  and 42 great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband Thon Phan and her children Tung Phan, Nam Phan, Anh Phan, Son Phan and Dan Phan.