Dinh Quoc Nguyen, 88 years old, of Sharon, MA, and formerly of Easton, MA, Leicester, MA, Thu Duc, Vietnam, and Haiphong, Vietnam, passed peacefully at his home in Sharon on November 12, 2022, surrounded by his family. Born in Haiphong, Vietnam, Dinh was the youngest son of Hong and Chiem Nguyen. As a young boy, he tried to honor his mother’s wishes to study to become a Catholic priest until she passed in 1971. He was educated in the seminary and taught elementary and middle school in rural Vietnam. In 1975, he fled Vietnam with his family and arrived as a refugee to the United States, resettling in Spencer, MA, and later Leicester, MA where he built a home for his family, and he and his wife raised their children. He was a factory worker at New England Envelope in Worcester, MA, and Flexcon in Spencer, MA, before independently operating a Vietnamese grocery delivery service and an ice cream truck. He later became a duck farmer for three decades before retiring. He was a devout Catholic who was actively involved and a leader in the Vietnamese Catholic communities in Worcester, MA, and Boston, MA. His proudest roles were of husband, father, grandfather, and friend to so many, with whom he loved to spend time. He was a kind, caring, and compassionate man who touched many lives.
Dinh was predeceased by his parents, his nine older brothers, and his daughter, Lan Nguyen. He was the beloved husband of Hang Thi Pham of Sharon, MA, for 50 years, and the loving father/“Ba” of seven children, Nga Nguyen and her husband, Douglas Nguyen, of Sharon, MA; Zung Nguyen and his wife, Trinh Nguyen, of Chelsea, MA; Oanh Nguyen and her husband, Patrick Mueller, of Hoboken, NJ; Anh Nguyen and her husband, Kwame Wade, of Atlanta, GA; Dao Nguyen and her husband, Zachary Olson, of Sharon, MA; and Kimanh Nguyen and her husband, Eric Mish, of Easton, MA. He was the adoring grandfather and “Ong” of Chloe Nguyen, Ella Nguyen, Drew Nguyen, Antonia Nguyen, Oscar Nguyen, Hieu Nguyen, Milan Nguyen, Zoe Nguyen Mueller, Charlotte Nguyen Mueller, Hunter Wade, Levi Wade, Quinn Olson, Paige Olson, Mira Olson, Rooney Mish and Nara Mish. He is also survived by numerous nephews and nieces in the U.S., Vietnam, and France.
Visiting hours will be held on Friday, November 18, 2022, from 4:00 PM -7:00 PM at Dockray and Thomas Funeral Home, 455 Washington Street, Canton, MA. A bilingual mass will be held on Saturday, November 19, 2022, at 9:00 AM at Our Lady of Sorrows Parish, 59 Cottage Street, Sharon, MA. Interment will follow mass at Knollwood Memorial Park, 321 High Street, Canton, MA. Donations in Dinh’s memory may be made to the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition, 105 Chauncy Street, Suite 901, Boston, MA 02111, www.miracoalition.org or Vietnamese American Civic Assn 42 Charles St. Dorchester, MA 02122 or at www.vaca-boston.org.