On June 23rd, 2024, Dr. Ba Xuan Nguyen of Camarillo, California took his last breath at 9:45 pm at St. John's Dignity Health Hospital in Oxnard. He was 90 years old.
Dr. Ba Xuan Nguyen, affectionately known amongst his patients and loved ones as " Dr. Ba", was born in Da Lat, Vietnam in 10/11/36.
After graduating from the prestigious high school Lycee Yersin in 1954, he attended Saigon University Medical School from 1954-1960. He was offered a scholarship from the Vietnamese Army to study abroad at Marquette University, Wisconsin from 1965-1966. His field of specialty was pathology.
Upon returning from the US, he settled with his family in Da Nang from 1966-1974; where he became Chief of the Vietnamese Army Legion #1 Blood Transfusion unit. He also practiced as a general practitioner in Da Nang.
Upon the fall of Saigon, Dr. Ba trained in pediatrics at St. Agnes Hospital, in Baltimore, Maryland. He joined the US Navy as a pediatrician from 1974-79 at Port Hueneme, California. From 1979-2024, he practiced family medicine in Oxnard, California.
In 1992, Dr. Ba was honored to be named Chief of the Department of Pediatrics at St. John's Regional Medical Center, Oxnard California.
He was very active in the local Vietnamese community, staging fundraisers and cultural festivals and even served as a principal in the local Buddhist's church Vietnamese language school in his 80's.
In everything that he had done, his infectious smile, boundless energy, and unwavering kindness left their marks.
In his spare time, Dr. Ba loved to play tennis, read, dance , and play the guitar.
He also travelled to different places in the world with his beautiful wife , Kiem.
Dr. Ba is survived by his lovely wife Kiem, whom he met and married in 1961.
And daughter- Rose Phuong Loan; life partner - John Nakama; grandaughter - Amanda Thuy Van Duong.
And son Anh Tuan ; daughter in law- Edna; grandaughter-Tami.
And son Richard Anh Tu; daughter-in-law; Monica; grandson- Christian; granddaughter- Claire .
And son Charles Minh Tam and grandson Bryan Tam Quy.
And son Robert Minh Tri; daughter in law Liz To Uyen, and grandsons: Drake Tri Duy, Luke Tri Toan, Seth Tri An and Jase Tri Phi.
And his sisters in Ho Chi Minh City: Xuan Phuong, Xuan Nhan, and Xuan Nga.
Aunties Xuan Phuong, Xuan Nhan, and Xuan Nga.
He is preceded in death by his parents, Can and Xuan Oanh, his brother Xuan Phat, his sister Xuan Yen, and his grandson Thomas.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations maybe made to VnHope.org (Tax code EIN #81-4021917)
VnHope Alliance 4 Rainstar, Irvine 92614
The memorial service is as followed Tuesday July 9/ 2024 at BOYKO & REARDON TELEGRAPH ROAD MORTUARY & CREMATION, 15 Teloma Dr.
Ventura, Ca. 93003
From 8:30am -9:30 am
Memorial service in the Buddhist Tradition with Rev. Thich Thong Hai, Bhante Sutadhara, and Rev. Thich Chuc Hien At 10 am - Cremation service.
Our family would like to extend our sincere gratitude for An Lac Buddhist temple; Thay Thong Hai, Bhante Sutadhara, and Thay Chuc Hien and all monks, nuns, and lay members for organizing and helping with my father's memorial service. We would like to thank our extended family and friends for coming and sharing in my father's memorial service.
During this time of great loss, if there is any mistake or oversight made, please forgive us.
One of my dad's favorite songs was from the Vietnamese composer Le Huu Ha. When the children were young, he strummed the tune on a guitar and asked them to sing along.
It's called Toi Muon ( I Want).
Toi muon minh tim den thien nhien
I want to go back to nature
Toi muon song nhu loai hoa hien
I want to live like a gentle flower
Toi muon lam mot thu co cay
I would like to be like the trees and grass
Vui trong gio va khong uu phien
I am happy as the wind and has no worries....
Em co thay hoa kia moi no
Dear one did you see the freshly bloomed flower
Trong giay phut nhung dep tuyet voi
In a passing minute, but it is so stunningly beautiful
Nhu hanh phuc thoang qua mat roi,
Like happiness that can flash by and disappear
Gio dau con tim duoc net vui..
And it had left no lingering signs...
And like that, you were gone Dad.
Like that flashing happiness, lingering
but a brief moment on Earth.
But while you were here, you had left
such an indelible mark on all who had
the lucky chance of meeting and
knowing you.
May you rest in peace amongst the
trees, the grass, and gentle flowers
swaying in the wind.