Tu Van Nguyen Obituary (1916 - 2018)

Tu Van Nguyen, 101, of Lincoln, passed away Monday. Born in Tra Vinh, Vietnam, he immigrated to Lincoln at age 65 and spent many years raising his grandchildren.He is survived by his seven children, Ton of Omaha, Thuy of Lincoln, Khuong (Tram Doan) of Lincoln, Hoa (Biec Huynh) of Omaha, Thu Ha (Thuan Nguyen) of Lincoln, Binh (Le Le) of Lincoln, Benjamin (Maggie Nguyen) of Lincoln; 25 grandchildren; 35 great-grandchildren; and 2 great-great-grandchildren.He was preceded in death by his wife, Cuong Nguyen, of Vinh Long, Vietnam; his parents and 5 siblings, all of Tra Vinh, Vietnam; and his son Hoa Nguyen, of Lincoln.His grandchildren have always been confused with his age missing it by one or two years. According to Vietnamese tradition, a person is one after birth. After the New Year, another age is added, therefore, aunts and uncles say grandpa was 103.At his age, he outlived all his childhood and adulthood friends but found great joy in watching his grandchildren and great-grandchildren through the years. He loved laughing with them and getting them all riled up. His second love was betting on the horses at outdoor tracks and simulcasts in Lincoln and Omaha. When he won big, he always gave the money away to his grandchildren.During his struggles in Vietnam, he survived through the French colonization, Japanese occupation, and Vietnam War. He was born from a family of great wealth but they lost everything during his teenage years. He worked many odd jobs to survive which included selling wood, herding ducks and driving a cycle rickshaw. He eventually saved enough money to buy his own land for farming and purchasing his own boat for trading. No matter what challenges he encountered, he never complained and continued his tremendous work ethic.Visitation is 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday and 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. Friday, both at Colonial Chapel, 5200 R Street. Service is 8 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Saturday at Colonial Chapel. VisitationThursday, March 1, 2018 9:00 AM 3/1/2018 9:00:00 AM - 1:00 PM 3/1/2018 1:00:00 PM Colonial Chapel Funeral Home 5200 R ST Lincoln, NE 68504 Colonial Chapel Funeral Home 5200 R ST Lincoln 68504 NE United States VisitationFriday, March 2, 2018 2:00 PM 3/2/2018 2:00:00 PM - 7:00 PM 3/2/2018 7:00:00 PM Colonial Chapel Funeral Home 5200 R ST Lincoln, NE 68504 Colonial Chapel Funeral Home 5200 R ST Lincoln 68504 NE United States ServiceSaturday, March 3, 2018 8:00 AM 3/3/2018 8:00:00 AM - 11:30 AM 3/3/2018 11:30:00 AM Colonial Chapel Funeral Home 5200 R ST Lincoln, NE 68504 Colonial Chapel Funeral Home 5200 R ST Lincoln 68504 NE United States