Nuoi Van Vo

Mr. Nuoi Van Vo was born on April 10th, 1946 at Thanh Phu, Ben Tre, Vietnam. He was Loi Van Vo and Cho Thi Nguyen's first son of ten children. Due to family's financial situation, he spent much of his childhood and teenage life going to school, working on rice field, and fishing with his father. When the Vietnam war began, he enlisted in the military to fight for the freedom and democracy for the people of Vietnam. Although he did not have a privilege of advance education as his colleagues, his wit, personality, and work ethic quickly advance his position in the military. While fighting for the country, he met his first love Thuy Thu Dang and they quickly married on January 24th, 1971. A year later, they were gifted with their first son, Duong Vo in 1972, and first daughter Kieu Vo in 1974. Mr. Nuoi Van Vo's happy marriage and successful career in the military were interrupted when the Vietnam war ended in April of 1975. He had an opportunity to flee the country with the retreating US military, but he refused due to his young wife and two young children whom located at a different part of the country. His decision to stay led to his capture and six years imprisonment by the northern Vietnam's military. His time in prison were comforted by regular visits from his wife and two toddler children. Later years in his life, he recalled of the intention of attempting suicide in prison if he did not have the support and encouragement of his wife and children. He was then released back to live in the community where he was born and married with the close look and monitoring of the new governmental leaders. Much after the imprisonment, the family lived with working on the rice field, selling clothes at the market, a barber, a carpenter, and a building house. According to the children and his survived friends, Mr. Nuoi Van Vo was a very well rounded and talented man. With no formal school or training, he was able to quickly adapted to any career and be very successful. In 1981, the couple was having their second son, Tai Vo and almost exactly two years later they completed their family with the birth of their youngest daughter Dieu Vo in July of 1983. Since then, the family experienced through the high and low economical status due to the strict controls of the new government. Due to Mr. Nuoi Vo's previous history of working for the United States, the family was constantly being watched and treated differently than many other family. However, even with the hardship, Mr. Nuoi Vo later mentioned in his life that he worked hard to put all four of his children to school to avoid having to work on the field like himself. He wished the children to finished school and have the knowledge like many others. With the new refugee program from the United States, Mr Nuoi Van Vo, his wife, and four children moved to South Carolina, U.S. in September of 1995. The family of six lived in a small two rooms apartment in Berea, Greenville, SC. Once again, with the hard working ethic and striving for better lives for his family as a whole, they worked at a sewing company in Travelers Rest, SC for several years saving money. The family then purchased a small ranch 3 bedroom house in Taylors SC, where he continued to raised all four children to be successful adults.He and his wife lived in the same house until the final days of his life. He was abruptly diagnosed with lung cancer in late August of 2010 and hospitalized for a month in a high intensive care unit. Although the medical doctors advised that he will pass away at the hospital, Mr. Nuoi Vo was a strong will man. He fought hard and his wish of coming back home was fulfilled. He was surrounded by a very large family, including 7 grandchildren by his side. He later passed away at the age of 64 at home in the arms of his 40 years of married wife. He died on Sunday, January 16th, 2011 at 08:20 PM. He wished to be cremated and have his ash along with his wife's ash to be put together to be buried them in Vietnam. If one must asked to sum up his life and passion in one sentence it would be: A great man who dedicated and sacrificed his whole life to create better lives for his wife, children, and grand children.

Arrangements under the direction of Woodlawn Funeral Home and Memorial Park, Greenville, SC.