Obituaries
An Dinh Vu, 77
April 28, 1942 - April 03, 2020
It is with great sadness that the family of An Dinh Vu, 77, announce his passing on Friday, April 3rd, 2020, at Lancaster General Hospital, surrounded by his loved ones, including his wife and daughters.
An was born on April 28, 1942, in Ha Nam Ninh, Vietnam to Thi Vu and Vy Pham. He was the eldest of seven brothers and three sisters. As a youth, he enjoyed classical music and played the violin. He was studious and loved history. After high school, he volunteered to serve his country by joining the Air Force for the Republic of Vietnam, with the goal to preserve independence for his beloved country against communism. An was accepted into a prestigious pilot training program in Houston, Texas. Upon completion, he returned to Vietnam to marry Luong Thi Nguyen. Shortly after their wedding, An resumed his duties as an air force pilot to deliver weapons to designated sites. However, during one of his dangerous missions, An was shot and lost his right eye. Although permanently scarred, miraculously, he was able to recover from his life-threatening injuries. Furthermore, despite living in poverty, he was able to help raise his family with love while stressing the foundations of education and catholic faith.
An and his family all immigrated to Staten Island, New York in 1991. Despite obvious language barriers and other social obstacle, all of his daughters were able to achieve success with higher education and ultimately succeed in pursing their life goals. He moved to Lancaster, Pennsylvania in 2011.
In addition to his wife, An is survived by his daughters, Mai Nuong, Mai Han, Bich Van, Phuong Thao, Tu-Trinh, Yen-Nhi and Bao Khanh, who he cherished above all else. As the loving grandfather of fourteen grandchildren, he adored all family events including baptisms, weddings and other special events. This allowed him to pursue his love for photography, as he took great pleasure in maintaining a family Facebook group site. His faith in Catholicism remains strong throughout his life. More recently, An was able to celebrate his wedding nuptials with his loving wife Luong in the holy land in Israel. Moreover, he also visited the Vatican as well as religious sites in Barcelona, Portugal and France as well. This past July 2019, An and Luong celebrated their 50th Anniversary surrounded by family and friends.
In early March 2020, An was diagnosed with Linitis Plastica, a very rare and aggressive form of stomach cancer. Although he was given a very difficult prognosis, he was still determined to fight for his life. He was able to spend time with his loving family at home and found great joy praying and completing rosaries.
An’s family would like to express their sincere appreciation to the staff and Lancaster General Hospital and Ann B. Barshinger Cancer Institute for the care they provided.
Due to recent health concerns and restrictions, services will be private at the convenience of the family. An will be laid to rest in The Cemetery of the Resurrection in Staten Island NYC.
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Condolences to the Family
April 09, 2020
Dear my Uncle,
Today, I’m writing a letter to your new address in heaven.
A few days ago, my mom told me that you have passed away, and until now, I still don’t want to believe that it’s true. Although I knew about your medical circumstances and could foresee this day, I still felt unprepared when I first heard the news.
You were like a second father to me. I remember thirty years ago, I had to shelter in your house since school was too far away from my own. At that time, you and my aunt lived in poverty and had to take care of your six daughters, but both of you still enthusiastically allowed me to stay in your house and took care of me as if I was one of your daughters. I could always feel your support and warmth. I remember getting up very early in the morning to review class lessons before going to school and seeing you delivered heavy containers of wine on your bike. You were an exceptional pilot before the Vietnam War. You lost everything after the war, but you overcame that by remaining a hard worker and a loving dad.
Tomorrow will be your last day in the world with us. My heart is broken because we can not do anything aside from watching your funeral on a conputer screen since only five family members are allowed to attend the ceremony with you due to federal social-distancing law.
I appreciate and will never forget everything you have done for me.
Please accept my appreciation and farewell.
Your niece,
MTM
Chú kính mến,
Hôm nay con viết thư gửi đến chú tại một địa chỉ mới trên thiên đàng.
Cách này mấy ngày trước, mẹ con gọi điện thoại báo rằng chú đã mất rồi và cho đến ngày hôm nay con vẫn không muốn tin đó là sự thật. Mặc dù tình trạng sức khỏe của chú không khả quan nhiều và bác sĩ cũng đã tiên đoán rằng ngày này sẽ đến rất sớm nhưng con vẫn thấy bàng hoàng khi nghe tin từ mẹ. Thưa chú, với con chú luôn là một người cha thứ hai của mình. Hơn 30 năm về trước, con còn nhớ rằng lúc đó gia đình chú dì rất nghèo và tuy phải chăm sóc 6 người con gái của mình nhưng chú dì vẫn nhận con ở trong nhà để cho con tiện chuyện hoc hành. Chú dì luôn làm cho con có cảm giác ấm áp và gần gũi như con đang sống trong chính gia đình mình. Con còn nhớ rằng con thường dậy rất sớm để ôn bài trước khi đi học và con thấy chú phải chở những thùng rượu rất lớn bằng chiếc xe đạp cọc cạch để đi giao cho các nơi. Trước chiến tranh Việt Nam chú là một phi công rất giỏi đầy tài năng, sau chiến tranh tuy mất tất cả nhưng chú vẫn giữ bản chất của mình chăm chỉ làm việc không hề than phiền mệt nhọc, yêu vợ thương con cháu và qui mến mọi người trong gia tộc.
Ngày mai đây là ngày cuối cùng chú trên dương gian với chúng con. Một niềm đau không thể tả xiết và nhức nhối hơn nữa là chúng con không thể làm gì hơn trong thời điểm bệnh dich lan toả toàn cầu ngoài việc xem trực tuyến online lễ tang của chú vì chỉ 5 người thân được phép đưa tiễn chú ra nghĩa trang mà thôi.
Xin nhận nơi con ba lạy thay lời cảm ơn chân thành sâu sắc nhất và xin chia tay vĩnh biệt chú như một người cha của con.
Kính,
Mỹ-Thiên Mai
Hai con gái Trang Tạ và Vy Tạ.
April 06, 2020
Cầu cho hương linh Bố hưởng Nhan Thánh Chúa. Xin chia buồn cùng Mai Nương và gia đình mình và an ủi Mom dùm chị Ngọc. Thành Kính phân ưu!!!!Gia đình Ngọc Lam- Jimmy Vương
April 05, 2020
As humans,
Sadness, like happiness, is a natural part of life
Life is like a gentle breeze
We are unaware of when it comes and goes
Birth, old age, illness, and death
All the natural occurrences of life
To my dear aunt and cousins,
Although we could foresee the arrival of this date, we were still emotionally unprepared when we first heard the news of Uncle An’s passing. What even worse was knowing that we couldn’t visit him in his final moments due to the current pandemic that is being forced upon us. We’d like to offer our deepest condolences and sympathies on the passing of Uncle An. May his soul be at peace with our Heavenly Father.
“The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it” ( Matthew 13:44-52). Uncle An was a loving husband, a kind father, a thoughtful brother, and an amiable uncle. He was a man of faith, and he understood that his death is only the beginning of his joyous life in heaven. Death is not the end of life, but rather a tunnel leading him to the light, leading him to reunite with our loving God.
May our faith and hope comfort us in this period of time.
Please accept our condolences.
My Nguyen and Bich Nguyen (sisters in law)
My Nguyen’s children
April 04, 2020
It’s hard to say how I was felt when my mom told me” Chu An di roi”. For real, I couldn’t believe in my ears. I knew that this day will come and will come to everyone. But,, with him, it was so fast. Man,,,I don’t know what I’m supposed to say..!!!yeah, it’s sad. I’m so sorry for your loss. Your loss is our loss. We’ll miss him so much!!!!
Xin chia buồn cùng Dì và các em, cháu.
Dong Mai
