Therese Nguyen Ngoc Bao

On Saturday morning, January 16, 2021, Therese Nguyễn Ngọc Bảo, loving wife and mother of two children, passed away peacefully in her home in Santa Ana, California at age 72.

Therese Nguyễn Ngọc Bảo was born on March 12, 1948 in Phước Hậu, Long An, Vietnam and was the daughter of the late Nguyễn Ngọc Ly and Phẩm Thi Xinh. Therese married Michel Phan Tu of Da Nang, Vietnam on March 25, 1974 and shared 47 years of marriage. Together they raised two children, Jackie Vien and Stephane Viet. Therese was the oldest of seven children, as such she was like a mother figure and teacher to her younger siblings who affectionately called her Chị Hai.

Therese earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Education/Teaching in 1971 in Saigon, Vietnam where she began her career as a High School Teacher upon graduation. She taught for many years until she and her family moved to Southern France in 1983. In France, she went back to school to become an Electrical Technician and worked for a French company. In 1990, Therese and her family immigrated to CA, U.S.A. where she again went back to school to earn additional degrees and took on many different jobs. In 1999, she became a medical device Technician at Medtronic, Inc. in Northridge, CA where she would spend the next 20+ years there as a valued, knowledgeable, hard-working employee and a respected, well-liked colleague. Therese was promoted to Senior Technician in her Quality Assurance/Quality Control Department in 2017. The following year, she worked in her full capacity despite suffering from undiagnosed brain cancer, while taking care of her ill husband who suffered from surgery complications. In August 2018, Therese took a leave of absence after becoming very ill in order to receive medical treatments at UCI Medical Center in Orange, CA and thereafter officially retired from Medtronic, Inc. in 2020.

Therese was a woman who could do just about anything she put her mind to. She worked tirelessly her whole life. She was a very resilient and smart lady who was determined to succeed and provide for her family. She was extremely devoted to her family unit as well as her extended family, starting with her beloved mother and father, her sisters, brothers, cousins, nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, and finally her husband, children and grandchildren. She cherished them above all and they all loved, admired, and respected her. She was a wonderful Bà Ngoại/Bà Nội to all four of her grandchildren.

Therese was a gentle, caring, loving soul. Her passion was the pursuit of finding peace and happiness through a compassionate vegan lifestyle and sharing her spiritual practice and knowledge with others. Therese had a deep love for learning and truly cared for all people, animals and nature. She enjoyed practicing meditation, meeting new people and making friends at meditation retreats all over the world, taking walks at the beach and parks, swimming in the warm ocean, visiting family near and far, knitting scarves/hats for others, eating and cooking delicious Vietnamese vegan dishes, and some of her favorite desserts were chè đậu, chè chuối.

Therese is survived by her husband of 47 years, Michel Phan Tu, her daughter Jackie Vien (and spouse Rocky) Allen, her son Stephane Viet (and spouse Christine) Phan; her five sisters, Thanh Le of Seal Beach, CA, Ngoc Bich Nguyen of Paris, France, Hue Pham of San Jose, CA, Jacqueline Duong Chau of Austin, TX and Caroline Thu Nguyen of Les Mureaux, France; her brother, Minh Nguyen of Sevran, France; and her four grandchildren: Estelle Allen, Isaac Allen, Astor Phan and Noah Phan.

Family and friends are invited to Therese’s Viewing and Memorial Services starting at 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday, February 16, 2021 at Peek Funeral Home, 7801 Bolsa Ave, Westminster, CA 92683.

Expressions of sympathy, sharing a memory and flowers may be sent to the family via the enclosed Web link:

https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/westminster-ca/therese-nguyen-ngoc-bao-10010743

In Therese’s memory, contributions may be made to UCI Medical Center for their efforts in Gliomas Brain Tumors Research (Dr. Xiao-Tang Kong and Dr. Mark E. Linskey), please go to the enclosed link for more information and/or to make a donation:

https://www.ucihealth.org/giving