Son Thien Nguyen

Nguyen Thien Son was born on January 1, 1949 in Hue City, Vietnam. The family moved to Saigon where Son grew up among many siblings and a large extended family. He went to college at Van Hanh University in Saigon where he graduated with a double degree in Journalism and Politics. In 1972, he joined the South Vietnamese Army where he served as a Second Lieutenant. After the fall of Vietnam in 1975, he was imprisoned in the labor camps and escaped five years later. The family left Vietnam in 1981 as political refugees and lived in Indiana for a short time before settling in Ohio where they remained for another 33 years. While in Ohio, he obtained his Bachelor’s Degree from Wright State University and became the first Vietnamese Certified Public Accountant in 1994.

Son will be remembered by many as a smart, hard working and gentle family man. He had a few interests which he followed with a singular focus – family, work, football and travel. Son loved to connect to his kids and grandkids and his extended family through phone calls, going to family weddings and taking the kids to the library, pool and YMCA when they were young. For over 25 years he worked full time at Blue Cross Blue Shield as a finance expert while also managing his own personal tax business for a variety of Vietnamese businesses in Ohio and beyond. He loved being an accountant and helping his clients to navigate the US tax system, sleeping only four to five hours each night throughout the tax season. He only closed his business last year when he became too ill to work and under great pressure from his family. During the winters he juggled between his work and finding time to watch college and professional football (he would camp out in the basement near the TV if OSU was having a good season). His skills with numbers included the ability to remember football statistics from the last ten years or more. No one in the Nguyen family loved Ohio State football more than Son. In the summers, he enjoyed going to on beach vacations both in the US and internationally. He was his happiest when swimming in the ocean.

For the past five years, he suffered from a rare disease called Multiple Symptom Atrophy (MSA) for which there is no treatment or cure. Although his body was crippled by the disease, his spirit was still strong until the very end. He continued to do his exercises while in bed, listen to Buddhist meditations and make daily calls to the family.

He passed away on August 23, 2020 and is survived by his wife, Nguyen Kim Thao, his two children Nguyen Kim Nga and Nguyen Thien Viet, their spouses and four grandchildren.

We will miss him always and forever, but we are comforted in knowing that he is watching over each and every one of us.

We appreciate the love and offer of support from everyone. In lieu of flowers or contributions, please consider donating to the Defeat MSA Alliance in honor of Son. You can decide how much and where the funds can be directed to - research, advocacy, etc. The site has been very helpful for our family in understanding and preparing for the various phases of this rare disease. https://defeatmsa.org/donate-to-us/