Obituary

After a long life devoted to his family and community, Dr. Cuong H. Nguyen passed away on March 30, 2023 at the age of 82. He grew up in Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City), Vietnam, one of 13 children. He earned a medical degree at the University of Saigon, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy. He served as both a physician and an officer in the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnamese forces) and was eventually detained in a “re-education camp” by the North Vietnamese Army.

After being reunited with his late wife, Hien, and children, he led his family out of Vietnam on small fishing vessels, part of the “boat people” migration. After a period at a refugee camp, the family emigrated to the U.S., ultimately settling in Worcester , which would become Dr. Nguyen’s permanent home. He passed his medical boards after arriving and opened up a family medicine practice on Millbury Street in Worcester’s Kelley Square. Over the many years of his practice, he served thousands of patients, many of them Vietnamese refugees like himself. These patients knew him simply as “Bac Si Cuong” (Doctor Cuong). He opened a second office in Springfield to care for that city’s underserved Hispanic population.

He was equally devoted to his extended family both in the U.S. and Vietnam. In his retirement years he would return to Vietnam many times, where he met his wife, Thoa Nguyen, and her daughter, Duong. He loved spending time with his many grandchildren, from taking them swimming at the Y to eating at Vietnamese restaurants.

In addition to his wife and stepdaughter, he leaves his four children Ngoc (and husband David Ball) of Newton, Mass., Anh (and wife Joy Jin) of Hudson, Mass., De (and wife Mona Shah) of Montclair, NJ, and Khoa (and wife Karen Chen) of Pacifica, Calif. He leaves grandchildren Emma, Simon, Evelyn, Jessica, Serena, Kyle, Cameron, Lucas and Mia, and many nieces and nephews. He is survived by five sisters and three brothers.

Viewing will be on Monday, April 3 from 5 to 8 PM in Alfred Roy & Sons Funeral Home 12 Hammond St. Services will be held on Tuesday, April 4 at 10 AM in the funeral home with a reception to follow at Pho Dakao Restaurant 593 Park Avenue Worcester.

The family asks that donations be made to the Southeast Asian Coalition of Central Massachusetts (SEACMA), care of Tuyet Tran, 50 Portland Street, suite 521, Worcester, MA 01608 (www.seacma.org).

Directions to Funeral Home