Đòan Thị Nam
Pháp Danh Nguyên Thạnh
1922 - 2018
Our mother Doan thi Nam was born in 1922 as the eldest daughter of a well to do family with lands in the village of Hai Yen, Hung Yen, North Vietnam. But having lost her mother to illness at an the age of 9, her childhood was difficult, taking care of all the younger siblings as well as the lands. Later, she ran her business in the fabric trading between various cities in North Vietnam.
Fast forward to 1954, when the Geneva Convention was signed, our parents ventured to South Vietnam, led to believe that it would be temporary as the armistice would only last 2 years. Yet it turned out to be the final separation between Communist North Vietnam and the free South, and our mom would not see her father and siblings for the next 21 years.
The highlights of her time in South Vietnam, up to the fall of Saigon in 1975, were 4 children, 3 grandchildren, 3 big houses and a successful children clothing business that provided comfortably for everyone. Though our mom never had the chance to go to school herself, she had taken the greatest pride for always given us the best education we could afford. Along that subject, she had always prided herself being able to convince her father to let her sisters to go to school in the 1920's so that they could have careers of their own. Our mom went on sending her son and even daughters (!) to study in Australia, Germany and Canada.
In April 1975, South Vietnam fell to the Communist North, my mother had to close her clothing business. In the following years, she had spent any savings to buy the passage to freedom for our 3 brothers still stuck at home. Just when the family had nothing left, Sylvia and Thi were able to sponsor our parents and youngest brother to Germany with them. Our parents even had to “donate” our 3-storey house that our mom had proudly custom-built in Saigon before leaving.
When our parents and brother arrived in Germany in August 1979, it was like a 180 degrees switch: now that the parents had nothing and it was the children's turn to take care of them – and we all happily did. Our mom’s next 38 years were a happy string of children’s weddings, births and birthdays of grandchildren, great grand children and even one great great grandson, coupled with trips all over the world with them or to visit them. Our parents were fearless travelers, flying on their own from Germany to Canada and Australia but most of times they went with us, traveling to Paris, Venice, Milan, Rome, Monte Carlo…
In 1989, our whole family immigrated from Germany to Canada. We are now reunited, all together, parents and almost all brothers and sisters. Our parents were happy, seeing all the children and grand children over Easter, Christmas and summer vacations. We are happy to report that my parents came with us everywhere, from Caribbean cruises to Hawaii, from L.A. to New York City, from Ottawa, Montreal to Calgary, from Sydney to Hanoi…. Most importantly they were respected, cared and loved by all including the most devoted daughters in law and son in law, and we kids, seize this opportunity to thank them from the bottom of our hearts.
In her last 21 years, our mom also witnessed the creation and growth of WinMagic. She had always followed our company development with great interest and considered it as a beautiful continuation of our tradition of family business.
In March 2014, at the youthful age of 92, our mom undertook another long, intensely emotional trip back to North Vietnam and visit all her relatives, see the burial places of our ancestors, connect with the younger generations of the family - this was another highlight in her old days that we are so happy for her and us too.
Now our mom is on her final journey. We will miss her dearly but we are happy that her soul is free again, leaving behind her weak and slow body, free to reunite with our father and her sister again in heaven.
Farewell, beloved Mother!
