Lieu Ngoc Nguyen

Our beloved father, Nguyễn Ngọc Liệu, passed away peacefully on Thursday, September 17, 2015 at Fairfax Hospital. He was born Vietnamese and died American. Vietnamese or American, he was first and foremost a good and decent human being.

He loved life and loved people, which made him the interesting man that he was. He was engaged and curious about everything in life. He loved to meet people and see new places. His caring and adventurous nature led him to be a teacher when he was a young man in North Vietnam, a successful entrepreneur in South Vietnam, and a committed community leader in Northern Virginia after he resettled in the United States.

He contributed greatly to the Vietnamese community and other immigrant groups in their successful adjustment to their new lives in the United States.

As the Intake Coordinator at Arlington County Public Schools, he guided, counseled, and motivated young students to excel and to do well. He believed success in school requires close collaboration between students, parents, and the school. So, while recognizing their busy schedules, he encouraged immigrant parents to be more involved and meet with teachers and school staff about their children’s education. To acknowledge the importance of the teachers’ role in their students’ performance, he also strongly promoted the Teachers’ Appreciation Day in the community.

Beyond education, he also reached out to serve other groups. He was a founding member of the Vietnamese Seniors Association (VSA) and an active member of its Board of Directors. He was also a Chairman of the Mutual Assistance Association Consortium.

In his lifetime, our father made some crucial decisions to migrate with his family twice, first to South Vietnam in 1951, and later to the US in 1975. Each time, he was motivated by his love for family and freedom. Like all immigrants, he struggled and lived through challenging times in the beginning, but was able to make a successful life for himself and his family. In his adopted country, he provided unconditional love and care for his wife of 64 years during her long illness; he helped guide and support his six children, six grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.

Our father was witty, funny and well-liked by all relatives, friends (young and old alike) and even total strangers he met during his travel. His adventurous spirit and intellectual curiosity about people and places made him a tireless world traveler and allowed him to make new friends wherever he went until he was in his late 80s. He lived a great life!

On Thursday, the 17th day of September 2015, our father passed away peacefully after an amazing life of love for family and fellow human beings, services to the immigrant communities, and inspiration to future generations.

We, his loving children, are grateful and blessed to have him in our lives.

As Nguyễn Ngọc Liệu or Liệu Ngọc Nguyễn, our father passed away with the same pride and dignity as when he lived. Looking back on his life, we are so proud that our father lived his life "His Way!”