Thuan Van Nguyen's Obituary
Thuan Van Nguyen, 89, passed away peacefully at his home on Saturday, September 22, 2018. From his birth in Nam Dinh, Vietnam, to his death in San Francisco, CA, he was a lifelong learner, fluent in Vietnamese, English and French, and able to say at least “hello” and “thank you” in dozens of languages. He earned an economics scholarship to study in the United States. On top of that, he was awarded a master’s degree in electrical engineering from Stanford University, and both a master’s degree in economics and a PhD in electrical engineering from the University of New Mexico.Because teaching is considered an honorable profession in Asia, Thuan was proud to have been a professor for more than 40 years. He retired from the University of Pacific (UOP) after 29 years of teaching electrical and computer engineering. During his tenure he helped establish UOP’s first computer lab.Thuan married his beautiful bride Hoang (Emily) Nguyen on October 7, 1957 in Mt. Hermon, CA; the two just celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary last year. Thuan and Emily lived in various locations throughout the United States and Canada. Through careful budgeting and planning – they were both teachers, after all — Thuan and Emily saw much of the world, and embarked on about 12 cruises, seeing locations such as Italy, Denmark and Greece.He is survived by his beloved wife, Emily, and their three children, An, Don (Julia) and Kim, and his grandchildren, Kelley, Robert, Ryan and Griffon, and many loving nieces and nephews.Thuan’s recent diagnosis with metastatic hemorrhagic cancer was short and unexpectedly swift, and the Nguyen family would like to offer thanks to the caregivers at Kaiser Permanente and Hospice by the Bay, and the many good friends and neighbors who helped our family during this difficult time.Thank you for being a part of Thuan’s life. He lived a full and long life, blessed with loving friends and family.
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