Dad was born in Bai Xao, a small town in South Vietnam on August 2nd, 1925. My grandpa migrated from Quandong as a business trader from China and grandma was a village girl from South Vietnam. Dad always had business dream. After 9th grade, he became a male nurse providing western medicine to poor villagers and later in his 20s he met mom, Thai Le from the village nearby. With little money but big dream they moved to Bac Lieu, a large city to grow their life together. In Bac Lieu is where they had seven kids who went on to sixteen beautiful grandkids.
Here are the seven first generation kids: Trung, Thuy, Liem, Van (Valerie), Tri, Quang (Mike) and Suong (Lisa) Ly.
Here are the sixteen grandkids of second generation:
• Steven Thien-Long, David Thien-An; Thien-Huong from Trung Ly
• Thao, Tony Tuan, and Timmy from Thuy and Minh Nguyen
• Emily Anh Thu and Amanda Phuong-Anh from Liem and Cindy Uyen (Cindy) Ly
• Ai-Duyen from Van and Hong Tran
• Tiffany ( Huyen Tran), Taylor (Huynh Tram) and Tyler (Tri Toan) from Tri and Anh Huyen
• Jacquelyn (Tuyet Vi) and Nicholas (Minh-Hieu) from Mike and Oanh (Jessica) Ly
• Anh-Thi (Vicky)and Phi-Anh (Nicky) from Suong and An To

Through thirty years in Bac Lieu Dad not only raised seven kids but helped many siblings and relatives. He owned and ran a profitable drug store with five to ten employees. My siblings and I all worked for him while in school and college. Our home had multiple nannies and dad owned a few homes and cars. All this changed on April 30th, 1975 when the Vietnam war ended.
After the war, when the communists took over, Dad lost everything he owned and all he had worked decades to build. But, he still had the irreplaceable things: his kids and my mom; and he was blessed enough to not be captured by the new government and sent to the new economic zones (a new name for “prison”).
To give their kids the best chance at building a life, Dad and Mom sent us away from Vietnam seeking freedom and opportunity. After several attempts at escape we became part of the millions of Boat People that fled from Vietnam to the new world. Five of us ended up in the United States and two in Canada. In 1984 we were able to finally sponsor over Dad and Mom to Toronto.

Dad, Mom, all us kids and now grandkids are all extremely grateful to be part of the Western world that accepted and embraced us for forty years to date. Some of us even had priceless life experience with socialism as well.
Dad had a wonderful 93 years of hard work, love and happiness with mom and all his kids.

Last month dad received a special message from mom to join her for a second contract on life forever and he accepted without hesitation… He was in the care of the wonderful Grace hospice the four weeks surrounded by the with love and happiness of his kids each day!
And, on Wednesday, April 11th at 10:55 EST he took his last breath.