Mao Ba Pham

He was married to Nhan Nguyen for 29 years. He left behind two daughters, Tram Pham and Tranh Dhalla, along with their husbands Khanh Doan and Raja Dhalla, respectively. He also left behind one son, Minh Pham. There are also three grandsons, Deion Doan, Alex Doan, and RJ Dhalla, and two granddaughters, Jasmine and Zoe Dhalla.

He served his country proudly and honorably as Lieutenant Colonel in the air force with the South Vietnamese Army for about 25 years. Unfortunately, he was captured and was imprisoned in a concentration camp in 1975 when Vietnam fell in the hands of the communist regime. He served his sentence for 10 years and was released on a mercy basis in 1985. In 1990, he was granted by the US government through petitioning to unite with his family in America.

Adjusting to a brand new life and culture in the USA was a challenge. But once again he overcame the shock of a new life and worked and flourished in several places in Sarasota, Florida. He then relocated to Riverside, CA to live with his oldest daughter, Tram Pham, in order to help raise her two young sons.

Mao Pham had a passion for gardening, photography, and traveling. He traveled the world with his companion, Mrs. Ly, visiting countless places and meeting people from all parts of the world. He would take his camera everywhere he went and snapped photos of everyone and everything he saw. Because of his love for photography, his family and friends got to enjoy all the memories that hold dear to him.

Mao Pham will always be remembered as someone who loved to talk and tell the same stories over and over again and never got tired doing it. He was loved by all his friends, deeply revered by all his nephews and nieces, and was adored by his family.

His memorial service was held on November 18, 2017 at Acheson and Graham Garden of Prayer, with private cremation.