De Dinh Pham
January 8, 1953 — August 30, 2012
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De Dinh Pham
De Pham, 59, of Blythewood, SC, passed away at the Palmetto Richland Health Center in Columbia, SC on August 30, 2012.
He was born in the village of Nga Mi, Thanh Oai, Ha Dong, Vietnam on January 8, 1953, the son of Pham Van Thong and Nguyen Thi Cuc. He excelled in his studies from an early age and decided on a military career attaining the rank of Lieutenant in the South Vietnamese Army by the age of 21. After the fall of Saigon in 1975, De spent 3 hard years in a Communist "re-education" camp until his daring escape in 1979. Defying the odds, including setting off in a small dingy under cover of night, evading Viet Cong search parties, capture by pirates, and 3 months in a Thai refugee camp, De arrived with his family on American shores in 1980. In his early years in America, De earned an Engineering degree at the University of Bridgeport in 18 months while also maintaining two jobs and a paper route. He was simultaneously involved in Vietnamese political and cultural affairs culminating in multiple terms as President of the Vietnamese National Congress in America.
A man of strong faith, De served as a Eucharistic Minister in both Manchester and Columbia, SC, working diligently to strengthen Vietnamese communities. De balanced a successful career at Computervision, Lockheed Martin, Benchmark Electronics and Bose with cultivating an extensive garden filled with impressive specimens of Vietnamese horticulture. For the last 16 plus years, De has taken great joy in the time he has spent with his large family, including 8 grandchildren.
De is survived by his mother Nguyen Thi Cuc; his wife, Ngoc Nguyen Pham; four children, Tram Fultz and her husband Micah, Anh Pham, Thuy Pham, and Viet Pham; eight grandchildren, Ethan, Isaac, Oren, Asa, Elias, Sebastian, Adam and Adah; and his siblings, Son Van Pham, Dat Van Pham, Dan Van Pham, Dao Chanh Pham, Thuong Thi Pham, and Thai Quoc Pham.
Calling hours will be at Phaneuf Funeral Homes & Crematorium, 243 Hanover St., on Friday from 2 to 6 pm followed by a traditional Vietnamese Commemoration from 6 to 8:15 pm. At 8:15 there will be a Rosary service. A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated on Saturday morning at 10:00 AM in St. Augustin Church. Burial will follow in Mt. Calvary Cemetery. For more information or to view an on-line Tribute, go to www.phaneuf.net .
Please add the Phaneuf Funeral Homes logo to the bottom of the obit.
He was born in the village of Nga Mi, Thanh Oai, Ha Dong, Vietnam on January 8, 1953, the son of Pham Van Thong and Nguyen Thi Cuc. He excelled in his studies from an early age and decided on a military career attaining the rank of Lieutenant in the South Vietnamese Army by the age of 21. After the fall of Saigon in 1975, De spent 3 hard years in a Communist "re-education" camp until his daring escape in 1979. Defying the odds, including setting off in a small dingy under cover of night, evading Viet Cong search parties, capture by pirates, and 3 months in a Thai refugee camp, De arrived with his family on American shores in 1980. In his early years in America, De earned an Engineering degree at the University of Bridgeport in 18 months while also maintaining two jobs and a paper route. He was simultaneously involved in Vietnamese political and cultural affairs culminating in multiple terms as President of the Vietnamese National Congress in America.
A man of strong faith, De served as a Eucharistic Minister in both Manchester and Columbia, SC, working diligently to strengthen Vietnamese communities. De balanced a successful career at Computervision, Lockheed Martin, Benchmark Electronics and Bose with cultivating an extensive garden filled with impressive specimens of Vietnamese horticulture. For the last 16 plus years, De has taken great joy in the time he has spent with his large family, including 8 grandchildren.
De is survived by his mother Nguyen Thi Cuc; his wife, Ngoc Nguyen Pham; four children, Tram Fultz and her husband Micah, Anh Pham, Thuy Pham, and Viet Pham; eight grandchildren, Ethan, Isaac, Oren, Asa, Elias, Sebastian, Adam and Adah; and his siblings, Son Van Pham, Dat Van Pham, Dan Van Pham, Dao Chanh Pham, Thuong Thi Pham, and Thai Quoc Pham.
Calling hours will be at Phaneuf Funeral Homes & Crematorium, 243 Hanover St., on Friday from 2 to 6 pm followed by a traditional Vietnamese Commemoration from 6 to 8:15 pm. At 8:15 there will be a Rosary service. A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated on Saturday morning at 10:00 AM in St. Augustin Church. Burial will follow in Mt. Calvary Cemetery. For more information or to view an on-line Tribute, go to www.phaneuf.net .
Please add the Phaneuf Funeral Homes logo to the bottom of the obit.
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