Private

Thien Van Nguyen, 83, of Massapequa, NY, previously of Queens, NY and Saigon, Vietnam, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, November 27, 2019 at Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center, surrounded by his wife of 59 years, their children and many of their grandchildren. Thien was born on January 1, 1936 in Vietnam. He graduated at the top of his class from the South Vietnamese Naval Academy. He ultimately rose to the rank of Captain and Deputy Commander of the South Vietnamese Navy Fleet Command. His last post was as a Commander of South Vietnam's 4th Coastal Zone. He proudly served his native country for two decades. For his valor alongside the American forces, Thien was awarded two Bronze Star Medals by the U.S. Secretary of the Navy. At the fall of Saigon in April 1975, Thien took his family and led an armada of ships and refugees to escape Vietnam. He and his family eventually settled in the United States, his greatly cherished adopted home country. After retiring from his second career as an Operations Manager for several large shipping companies in 2006, Thien spent his remaining years doing the things he loved the most - caring for his beloved wife, children and grandchildren while also travelling the world with them.

Thien is survived by his loving wife of 59 years, Cuc Le Nguyen; seven devoted children - Thanh Nguyen and his wife Erika, Thuy Dancik and her husband Mitchell, Thao Tran and her husband Bang, Tom Nguyen, Thoai Nguyen, Thai and his wife Jean, Thoi and her husband Richard; 12 adored grandchildren - Max, Jacqueline, Jennifer, Julia, Wesley, Jonathan, Joanna, Joshua, Gavin, Skyla, Judith and Brendan. A Memorial Mass will be held on Monday, December 2, 2019 at 9:30am at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, 855 Carmans Road, Massapequa Park, NY 11762. Donations may be made in Thien’s memory to the Veterans of Foreign Wars, VFW/Processing Center, P.O. Box 8958, Topeka, KS 66608-8958 or online at www.vfw.org or to Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, 855 Carmans Road, Massapequa Park, NY 11762, or online at http://ollmp.org. In lieu of donations, flowers may be sent in Thien’s memory to Chapey & Sons Funeral Home, 1225 Montauk Highway, West Islip, NY 11795.