Ut Thanh Nguyen, beloved husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather, passed away on March 28, 2024, in Katy, Texas. He was born on March 21, 1937, and 4 generations of Ut’s family gathered for his 87th birthday for what became the start of a final celebration of his life.
Ut was born in Saigon, South Vietnam to Nguyen Van Muon and Trinh Thi An. He married Xung Do from My Tho, South Vietnam. Together, they have two boys, Allen Anh-Tuan and Anh-Kiet; and six girls, Heidi Thanh-Tung, Tammie Thanh-Trang, Deidre Cam-Thi, Anh-Thu, Lien-Phuong and Lien-Dai; all born in Saigon.
Ut entered the Vietnam Naval Academy on January 10, 1958 and was a member of De Nhut Ho Cap, Khoa 8. Ut served as an Engineering Officer in the Republic of Vietnam Navy and attained the rank of Commander. In January 1964, Ut received command to bring back the Admiral-class minesweeper USS Shelter to be transferred from the US Navy for service in the South Vietnam Navy as the RVNS Chi Linh HQ-11. Among other honors from the Vietnamese Navy, Ut also received the US Navy Commendation Medal with Combat “V,” for valor in direct combat operations.
After the fall of Saigon, Ut served as a volunteer with the Office of Civil Coordinator at Camp Asan, Camp Tokyu in Guam and later, at Fort Chaffee in Arkansas, where he assisted thousands of Vietnamese refugees and contributed significantly in the smooth operation of the refugee relocation programs.
After arriving in the US, Ut and his family were sponsored by the Episcopal Diocese of West Texas and settled in San Antonio. Ut earned a degree in computer programming and began a new career with Frost National Bank, where he retired in 2000.
Ut is survived by his loving wife, Xung; his devoted children Heidi (Yung Tran), Allen (Hanh Tran), Tammie (Calvin Vu), Deidre (Joseph Bambola), Anh-Thu (Michael Chu), Lien-Phuong (Gary Fischer), Lien-Dai (Gary Arwood), and Anh-Kiet (Van Tang). He is also survived by his grandchildren Nicholas, Justin, and Brandon (Alexis) Tran; Adam, Amanda (Bene Taylor), Andrew (Anh) and Sophia Nguyen; Christopher (Chayanit), Kevin, and Madison Vu; Donovan and Darien Diep; Hallie Chu; Cory, Claire, and Connor Fischer; Trevor and Shane Arwood; and Skylar Nguyen. Lastly, Ut is survived by his great-grandchildren Kaius and Levi Taylor; and Arden Nguyen.
To honor Ut Nguyen’s memory, we are continuing the celebration of his life with a service on Saturday, April 6, 2024, from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM, at Chapel of Eternal Peace at Forest Park, 2454 S Dairy Ashford, Houston, TX 77077.
Visitation for Ut will be held on Friday, April 5, 2024 from 3:00 PM to 7:00 PM, and again on Saturday, from 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM before the start of the service.
