Giuse Anh-Dũng Nguyễn

Anh Dung Joseph "Zoom" Nguyen, a loving father and grandfather, dutiful husband, and kind brother, passed away on February 1, 2021. He was a man of simple tastes, but he was known by many names. Among the Vietnamese community, where he served as a Sunday School principal and teacher for over thirty years, he was known as Thay Dung. When serving the Eucharist to patients at Our Lady of the Lake Hospital, he was called Joseph. Many of his neighbors and former coworkers knew him as Zoom. But to all, he was best known as faithful friend. Zoom was born on December 7, 1946, to humble beginnings in the Ninh Binh province of northern Vietnam. At the age of eight, his parents, Bai Huu Nguyen and Hong Thi Pham, fled with their children to Saigon. He graduated cum laude (1/260) from the Vietnamese National Military Academy in Class 25, attending from 1968-1972, and accepted his position as Ensign with the Republic of Viet Armed Forces upon graduation. Zoom was married to his wife, Thanh Hai Thi Nguyen, on January 12, 1974. Desiring a better life for his family, Zoom accepted a full scholarship in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. He set sail to America, planning to be reunited with his wife and daughter upon graduation. While in Ann Arbor, Zoom became friends with Andy Finlayson and was introduced to Andy's family. Of this friendship, Zoom would later remark, ""So many blessings I received in my life through talking with strangers." Andy helped Zoom navigate learning how to live in America, and Andy's parents, Larry and Sally, sponsored Zoom's American citizenship. The Finlayson family had quickly adopted Zoom as one of their own. When Zoom's wife Thanh and daughter Vu were forced to flee in a fishing boat after the fall of Saigon, Andy co-signed with Zoom to sponsor their transfer to America from a refugee camp in the Philippines. Thanks to this assistance, Zoom was reunited with his family in America in June 1975. His friendship with the Finlayson family continued. He loved his home country, and also his adopted country. Upon graduation from the University of Michigan, Zoom first accepted employment in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and later relocated to the warmer climate of Baton Rouge. He was employed at River Bend Nuclear Plant, retiring from his position as a Senior Mechanical Engineer for Entergy in 2007. Concurrently, he pursued a M.S. in Theology and Religious Education from Loyola University. Zoom loved to read and to learn, and he embraced the idea of working hard to achieve your dreams. He encouraged his children in their endeavors by sharing his own experiences, "All things in life, I had to work hard for them." Zoom was a devout Christian, having joined the Legion of Mary over 60 years ago after encountering a group of Legionnaires in Saigon who were seriously praying. He was an active member of both St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church and St Thomas More Catholic Church, and a steadfast participant in STM's 6 am mass. Zoom's dedication in his service to God was evident to all, especially in his efforts as President of the Legion of Mary Baton Rouge Curia, delivering the Eucharist to patients at Our Lady of the Lake hospital, serving as director of religious education at St. Anthony of Padua and Le Van Phung Parish, and volunteering with the St. Thomas More Angola prison ministry for more than twenty years. He was a kind, personable, amicable, and talkative man, with a booming voice... always quick to strike up a conversation with people of all backgrounds, young and old, to make a new friend. He was known to generations of CCD students as "Uncle Zoom" and known to many inmates as a friend and advisor. Zoom was unfailingly true to his word, willing to help any person in need. To know him was to love him. Zoom was preceded in death by his parents and by brothers Hung Anh Nguyen and Cuong Anh Nguyen. He is survived by a large and loving family, including his wife Thanh Hai Thi Nguyen; daughter Vu Nguyen Harrell and son-in-law Allen Harrell; son Andrew Minh Nguyen and daughter-in-law Tran Thai Truong; daughter Marie Thuy Linh Nguyen and son-in-law Duc Nguyen; son Anthony Tu Nguyen; daughter Margaret Nguyen Moreaux and son-in-law Louis Moreaux; son John Vincent Liem Nguyen; son Paul Thomas Thien Nguyen; and grandchildren Lucas, Anna and William Nguyen. Zoom is also survived by brother Tai Anh Bai and sister-in-law Phuong Kim Bai; brother Tuan Anh Nguyen and sister-in-law Ngoc Dung Thi Nguyen; sister Thu Ha Thi Nguyen and brother-in-law Luong Duong; nieces Kathleen Bai, Kelcy Bai and Thuy Anh Duong; nephew Kyle Bai; and a wide extended family. Zoom was not fearful as death approached, but instead embraced the will of God. This family now finds comfort and joy in the truth spoken in Philippians 4:6-7 (ESV) – Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. A funeral service will be held at St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church on Saturday, February 6, at 10 am, followed by interment at Greenoaks Memorial Park. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the charity of your choice in Anh Dung Joseph Nguyen's name.