Tan Thanh Dinh

Dinh, Thanh Tan of Seal Beach, CA. Tan, 69, entered into the next life on February 24, 2013. He was born in Can Tho, Vietnam on April 12, 1943 to Van-Canh and Le Thi Be. Tan went to Officer School and served in the Airborne Artillery unit in the Vietnamese Army where he served until 1975. After the Vietnamese war, he emigrated from Vietnam with his family and eventually settled in Endicott, New York where he started a career with IBM. After 25 years, Tan retired and soon after moved to Seal Beach where he lived a very active and full life in Leisure World with friends and loved ones.

In January 1969, he married the love of his life Phi Yen Bui in Saigon, Vietnam. They were happily married for 44 years, and together had four children, Trang, Tuan, Triet and Tri. During their 25 years in Endicott,Tan and Phi Yen raised a loving family. Tan was an amazing provider to his beautiful family and ensured all his children attended college, where they each received a degree in Engineering. He was a devout Buddhist and practiced and attended temple from a very young age. Tan had many varied interests and loved to travel with his wife. They traveled to many exotic places, most recently to Mynamar in 2012. Throughout his travels, Tan combined his love of photography with his love of beautiful landscapes and created many photographic memories. He was also an avid audiophile and enjoyed music. With his state-of-the-art stereo equipment, Tan not only enjoyed his music himself, but shared this interest with his wife and friends by making them CDs of their favorite music. Tan did not only love to listen to beautiful music, but also enjoyed creating music. He played the keyboard and sang as a way to relax every night before bed. Among his many other interests, Tan had a keen interest in wood working. He volunteered at the wood shop and built things like napkin holders, Vietnamese rice cake holders, sewing boxes and more, often for his wife and friends. Tan also indulged his wife's love of cooking, especially the sweets which ultimately resulted in an extra 15 pounds after retirement and moving to sunny California! It was here, in California, where Tan found the perfect place for walks on the beach with his wife and friends and to grow his flowers, orchids and bonsai.

Tan touched people's lives and spirits regardless of where they were. He embraced life and lived it to the fullest, which was evident in the way he treated his wife, family and friends. He was so efficient in everything he did, always taking care to do the job right "the first time." Tan was an amazing husband, father, father-in-law, and true friend to so many. In addition to his wife and children, Tan is loved by his 6 grandchildren, Braeden Travaglio, Adam Dinh, Derek Dinh, Nigel Dinh, Mika Dinh, and Camden Dinh.