Tung Sing Lu

Lu Tung-sing was born in Kobe, Japan on Lunar year 1925, October 8, (although his official entry documents to the US flipped it around to August 10). Later he relocated with his parents to Kinmen, China, then to Saigon, Vietnam. When he turned 17, his mother passed away and he had to drop out of school to assist his father in their pawn shop business. He would later start his own successful import and export business. Tung-sing married Mai-que Ngo on October 1st, 1950 and they had two daughters, Theresa and Lucia, and one son, Tony. The 3 siblings would eventually leave Vietnam to attend university in the US. Staying in Vietnam through most of the war, he and his wife escaped the country on short notice on a US Army C130 cargo plane on April 28, two days before the fall of Saigon. They left everything behind except what they could carry. After starting off in the Philippines and then a makeshift refugee camp in Arkansas, they were able to fly to Seattle and reunite with their children. He was such a patient and kind person and never once complained about leaving behind a good life in Vietnam or having to start over working as an assembly-line worker making pacemakers. He was a devoted Catholic and stayed involved in charities for the Southeast Asian community. He was a kind and patient husband, gentle and loving father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. He was described as a dignified, generous, gracious, handsome, hardworking, honest, humble, loyal, thoughtful, and resilient human being by his relatives and friends, and he always put his concern for other people’s welfare above his own.

He passed away peacefully on March 14, at 1 AM at Swedish hospital, surrounded by his family after having the chance to say good-bye to his wife, children, grand-children, great-grandchildren, and extended family. He is survived by his wife, Mai-que (or Rose); two daughters, Theresa and Lucia; his son Tony; two sons-in-law, Fred and Don; four grandchildren, Antoinette, Dominic, Sean, and Elliott; three grandchildren-in-law, Eric, Christine, and Sherry; 5 great-grandchildren, Annika, Dashiell, Raiden, Beckett, and Marlowe; and numerous nieces, nephews, and other extended family members.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Kin On (kinon.org) in memory of Tung Sing Lu, or his church, Our Lady of Mt. Virgin, 1531 Bradner Pl, S. Seattle, WA 98144