Obituary

Mr. CẢNH BÁ ĐẶNG’S Biography


Mr. CANH BA DANG was born on August 16, 1933 in Kim Ho village, Gia-Lam province, BAC NINH City, in North Vietnam. At 18 years of age, to avoid being drafted to serve for the French Army, he changed his birth year to 1935.

He was born into the area richest family of 10 – 4 sons and 6 daughters. His parents, Mr. DANG BA HAM, and Mrs. NGUYEN THI DUC LY, owned majority of farm land in the village. As the oldest son and heir, he was entitled to inherit the family estate and to carry on the family tradition. Therefore, he was, since very young, trained to be deeply imbued with Confucianism, cherished by his family members, and aided by his own servants – a young boy and a family manager. He attended the village elementary school, and, at home, taught French and Chinese by two live-in teachers.

In 1946, the Vietnamese-French war spread to his village. 1948, his family moved to a safer area, far from home. He volunteered to stay back, together with the old family helper, to manage the family business; every month, he risked the danger of being caught when he ventured through the enemy controlled areas to bring his family monthly financial supply - money from the sales of rice and poultry at home. That time, he joined the local guerilla force, and was almost killed a couple of times.

In 1950, his family moved back home. He was then sent to Hanoi to finish High School; his plan to attend to Medical School was shattered when, in 1954, the country was divided at the 17th Parallel – the Northern of which was ruled by the Communists, and the Southern, a free State - the Republic of Vietnam. His family had to move South because landlords were the first sentenced to be killed by the Communists. His father stayed back to meet his son and daughter who joined the fighters against French since 19545. Just only one month later, on November 14, 1954, he passed away before the Communists launched the Land Reform to abolish the landlord’s title in his area. Mr. DANG BA HAM’s tomb was in KIM HO cemetery in BAC NINH province, North Vietnam.

In SAIGON, South Vietnam, Mr. DANG BA CANH had to work to support his mother and two younger siblings. 1956, he joined the Dalat National Military Academy (considered the VN WestPoint). 1958, he was sent to the US to learn the Engineering skills. 1960, back to South VN, he was stationed to serve in the Engineering Construction Unit. 1964, he was transferred, because of his Administration & Operation skills, to work at the Military Joint Staff Head Quarters, in charge of the security of the Head Quarters and vital areas around the Tan Son Nhat airport as well as the living Quarters for the high-positioned and VIP officers including the President’s and the Prime Minister’s. In this position, he had opportunities to involve in and witness political events in South VN between 1964 and 1975. With his experience fighting against French, he had strategies to stop the Communist infiltration into the JSHQ. Especially in the 1968 Tet Offensive, he was able to prevent the Communist attack and collective killing of the Generals/officers in the Head Quarters.

In 1965, at the Birthday party of his friend’s daughter, he met his future wife, Miss NGUYEN THI CAM-HUONG, who was then a Special Assistant to the Minister of Education in the National Ministry of Education in Saigon. The wedding was on May 24, 1968, with 500 relatives and guests who had to leave early due to the curfew at 7:00 pm. After the marriage, Mrs. NGUYEN THI CAM-HUONG went back to her teaching profession at the prestigious Girls’ High School – Lycee GIA LONG. The new family resided in the JSHQ; they had chauffeurs, a cook, and three nannies for their 5 children: DANG BA NAM-PHUONG (born 1969), DANG BA PHUONG-ANH (1970), DANG BA ANH-VIET (1971), DANG BA VIET-NAM (1972), and DANG BA Y-NHI (1973).
The North VN Communists violated the 1973 Paris Agreement, attacked and took over South Vietnam on April 30, 1975, after the US had cut back all assistance and withdrew military service men in 1973. Given the experience with the Communists, he arranged for his wife with 5 young children – their age ranging from 1 to 5, and his 80-year-old mother to be evacuated out of Saigon on April 26, 1975 by the American Military airplane. Because of his military responsibility, he stayed back until the last day, the night of April 29, 1975, and boarded a ship to get out when the Communists came to Saigon.

During the three months of separation, his wife and children stayed at the US Clark Airbase in the Philippines, where his mother had gall bladder surgeries at the Military Main Hospital there, and he was at GUAM Refugee Camp. All the efforts to try to locate each other by both husband and wife were just in vain, until, as if by a miracle, they finally reunited and moved from Guam to Camp Pendleton, CA. On September 10, 1975, the family settled in Enumclaw, a small town in South King County, WA.

One week after arrival, Mrs. CAM-HUONG resumed her English As a Second Language teaching at Enumclaw Senior High (days) and the Fort Steilacoom Community College (evenings). In March, 1976, the family moved to Federal Way, WA. He found a job with the Deluxe Company and worked until his retirement in 1996. His wife taught evenings at Highline CC and Fort Steilacoom CC, and worked full-time at South Seattle CC until she retired in 2008.

Throughout his young and adult life, he had assisted and saved lives both in North and South Vietnam. Especially in 1945 when famine raged in the North with over a million people starved to death, he had permission from his family to donate rice to the poor and the hungry, and in April, 1975, he found ways for his own family, his sister’s and 2 young siblings’ families to get out of Saigon to avoid the Communist killing and imprisonment.

In the United States, besides earning a living, both he and his wife volunteered to organize and joined various religious, cultural and social activities as ways to help and pay back to the USA for FREEDOM and OPPORTUNITY. They opened Vietnamese classes for young Vietnamese students, ESL classes for immigrants and refugees, established a Vietnamese Communal House, a Buddhist Temple, and helped out many new arrivals to the Washington State.

He was recommended and selected to receive the State and National Thomas Jefferson Award in 1996. His workplace at 34629 – 9th Ave. So., Federal Way selected him the Employee of the Year and planted a tree in his memory when he retired in 1996.

After 20 years of working, he spent time composing poems, writing or travelling. Until 2013, he and his wife have visited Vietnam, China, Cambodia, Japan, Korea (in Asia), France, Italy, Belgium, Holland, Norway, Russia, Switzerland, Monaco, Denmark, Vatican, Finland, Austria (Europe), Egypt (Africa), Canada (North America), Brazil, Argentina, Peru, Chile (South America), and Sydney, Canberra, Gold Coast (Australia), and many cities and States (USA).

He survived after the 2 imprisonments through the 3 wars during the 30 years in his country, serving 20 years in the VN Army – with his last rank as Lieutenant Colonel, receiving 16 medals, suffering 2 injuries and 2 property losses (1954 in North and 1975 in South VN).

First as refugees in the US, with just empty hands, he worked for 20 years, and his wife, 35 years. Both had worked so hard to restored what had been lost, and sacrificed a lot to raise their 5 children who graduated and successfully contributed back to this society – one Engineer, one Doctor of Pharmacy, one Computer Programmer, one Medical Doctor, and one Business Professional. In July, 2012, his children celebrated their parents’ birthdays (80 & 70) with 100 relatives and guests, at the Marina Woodmark Yacht Club Hotel in Kirkland. Until 2013, both of them are healthy and still living at 410 SW 329th Street in Federal Way, WA 98023. They have 7 grand children, 5 boys and 2 girls.

They have bought their pre-planned spaces and funeral services at Boney-Watson/Washington Memorial Park, near SeaTac airport: (Section 6-71 / A1 & A2). The Memorial Park is also the resting places for his mother, Mrs. NGUYEN THI DUC LY (Section 18 Block 102, Lot A Space 1), and her mother, Mrs. CAO THI GIAP (Section 20 Row B Block B4). They leave the 3 spaces (Section 6-69 /D2, D3 and D4) by the side of their spaces, and 5 other spaces (Section 19 - H 13/ 1, 2, 3), (Section 21- Block 238 Lot C Spaces 1 & 2) for their children if they want to use them, in the long run.
Mr. DANG wants his children and grand children to nurture & cherish their family tradition:
• Be grateful to parents & ancestors (Practice Ancestral Worship);
• Value Education & Family reputation;
• Maintain bi-cultural and bi-lingual Prestige;
• Focus on personal & professional development;
• Render services to others in need, and contribute back to this society.