Great uncle was the person who represented my Father ( Tam Van Nguyen) side on my morning wedding receptions.  

It was so long ago....I remembered I sat out in the back dock of the house waiting for you to come back from the ocean. You brought me a huge lobster & I ate the whole thing.   When we left Vietnam & made it to Malaysia,  we stayed there for almost a year.  Everyday you piggy-back  ride me to the  beach with mom.  I was so scared of the huge waves taking you both away I stood there & cried & cried.  
Dad was always always there for his children/grandchildren.  He was a very kind loving father / grandfather.  He had such a big heart... always willing to help & give but never asked for anything in return.   That great smile touched everyone’s heart. 
I love you & miss you so much.   I know you are at peace now.   I know we will meet again.......your baby girl.  

When people tell me to trust my instinct, I now know what it means. I flew back home to Cali w/ great instincts that someone was waiting for my mom & I.

I honestly don’t think I’ll ever find the right words to describe how deeply connected my family is to my grandpa, especially his grandkids. 

Growing up, our parents made sure the family lived close for a reason. Grandparents always made their weekly tour to each home within 15 mins away lol. 

He was at our birthdays.
He made it to our graduations.
He took me to school. He picked me up.
He made sure his birthdays (including grandmas), Christmas, & Chinese New Years was extra decorated because his grandkids are coming to visit. Both were always there for every occasion.

I honestly think we fear of missing out if someone can’t make it to a celebration lol. 
As we have gotten older, it never changed. We still get together to see him. Even on his last day.

His love is the greatest gift that 1 generation can give another. He created wonderful memories for his grandchildren. 

Our world is just not the same without you.

There are so many memories of Grandpa growing up, I don’t even know where to begin.  He played a huge part in mine & my brothers lives when my parents were working.  I remember he would wake me up for school more than once because I struggled getting up so early.  He would make me breakfast, mostly pho, noodles or something greasy; then take me to school in his gray truck that was always blasting embarrassing Vietnamese folk music.  I try to tell him to drop me off before entering the school but he  would never listen.  He was always doing something around the house, he cannot sit still, constantly on his feet.  On a ladder, on top of the roof, gardening, cleaning, organizing, sifting through pounds of raw garlic to peel & chop, anything & everything that needed to be fixed, he fixed it or painted it.
I just recently learned that growing up he was very poor, i now understand why he got in the habit of keeping everything he received or found.  When the war came, he took it upon himself to be responsible for saving about 60 lives on his boat, escaping Vietnam to Malaysia(all survived during their journey), then establishing roots in California with our entire family.  He was the most welcoming, strong, brave, humble, hard working & all of the above great person anyone can ask for; he is the definition of awesome.  He would always welcome everyone at gatherings with open arms & beer.  He made sure that those who stepped into the house felt like they were part of the family.  He goes all out with decorations & random items that made him so happy; it made all of us happy, to see that the simplest thing can bring him so much joy.  He did so much for our family and I am so grateful I was able to spend & create those memories with him my whole life.  Right now i know he is at peace, he’s no longer in pain.  He’s enjoying a cold beer in one hand, cigarette in the other and sitting in front of one of his favorite 1 cent slot machines waiting for a jackpot. 

OBITUARY

Chinh Van Nguyen

29 May, 1929 – 19 July, 2019

Eternal Hills Mortuary & Crematory at Eternal Hills Memorial Park

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