Oanh Quang Nguyen

He was born to Mr. and Mrs. Dam Nguyen in Muou Giap, Vietnam. At the age of nine years old, Mr. Nguyen lost both his parents and subsequently entered the seminary. Despite losing his parents early, Mr. Nguyen felt that this sequence of events was all part of God’s plan. The seminary provided an education that proved an important part of who he became. That education would not have been available to him had he stayed in his small village.

After discovering that the priesthood was not his calling, Mr. Nguyen earned his Master’s in Economics from the University of Saigon. During that time, he fell in love with Giaan Tran and courted her for six years. He married the love of his life in 1966, and they lived the next 54 years together. Together they raised three children – Nhatthien, NhatVi and HaiTrieu.

Mr. Nguyen taught History and Economics at Petrus Ky High School in Vietnam. During the Vietnam War, he was drafted into the Army Republic of Vietnam as a Lieutenant. After the Vietnam War in 1975, the Communists imprisoned Mr. Nguyen for 3 years in a “re-education camp.” Having no chance to make a normal living, Mr. Nguyen fled Communist persecution in 1979 by boat. He settled in the US in 1980, and his wife and children eventually reunited with him a few years later.

God always provided for Mr. Nguyen. His first job in the US was as a stationary engineer at a local hospital. A good friend gave up his position so that Mr. Nguyen can have this job. He then worked at the Houston Police Department in 1981 also as a stationary engineer and retired in 1999. He belonged to the Legion of Mary, a Catholic apostolic worldwide association that actively serves the needy. Mr. Nguyen wrote under the pen name “Tam An” for the Catholic magazine, “Dan Than.” In addition, he worked diligently with a group called “An Viet” to promote Vietnamese heritage by researching the culture of the Vietnamese people. He was a progressive man who believed you can never love your children too much. He taught his children that you can do anything that you set your mind to do. Mr. Nguyen did not build churches, but he was a spiritual architect. He mentored and counseled individuals, groups, as well as the communities which he served. His smile was a homily in itself; with just a simple smile, he converted and uplifted many souls. The trust in God’s plan was so evident even after his leg amputation, people that he met were surprised that Mr. Nguyen was still so jovial despite suffering a major loss. “God’s will be done” was a phrase that he often mentioned. Even the last words Mr. Nguyen uttered before his death was “I want to go home to God.”

He had a passion for gardening and loved all living things. He will be missed for his wisdom, spirituality, being a wonderful husband, father, grandfather, mentor, and friend.

He is survived by his beloved wife, GiaAn; sister, Soi Nguyen; two sons, Nhatthien (Chinh Nguyen) Nguyen, Nhat Vi (Thuc Nguyen) Nguyen; daughter, Hai Trieu (Thanh Dinh) Nguyen; eight grandchildren, Katelyn, Ethan, NhatThe, NhatTam, NhatViet, Aidan, Amelie, and Abram and many loving nieces, nephews and extended family. Mr. Nguyen will be truly missed by family and friends for his jovial and easy-going personality.

Funeral services will be held on Saturday, February 15, 2020 at Our Lady of Lavang at 8:30 AM. Burial will follow at Earthman Resthaven Cemetery. Friends may visit the family on Friday, February 14, 2020 from 2-9 PM at American Heritage Funeral home.