Teresa Avila Dang Quynh Loan passed away at 5:00pm Saturday, February 8th, 2020 in El Sobrante, California following complications from diabetes. She was 88 years old.

Our extraordinary matriarch was born on March 4th, 1931 in Hai Phong, North Viet Nam.  She attended a French school, where she became proficient in French and began her teaching career.  She married the late Captain Nguyen Bao Tung on January 28th, 1951 at Hai Phong Cathedral Basilica. During their marriage, they had nine children– seven daughters and two sons.

In 1954, she migrated to South Viet Nam with her family including her husband, son, daughter, and two Grandmothers. She became a great and dedicated schoolteacher, and taught French at Regina Pacis and Dong Tien in Saigon.  After Saigon fell in 1975, her husband was interned in concentration camps. During this time, she raised her nine children alone with two elder grandmothers.

In 1990, she migrated to the United States with her husband and family to reunite with her two older daughters, Nga Nguyen and Lien Nguyen. During her time in the United States, she enjoyed gardening, knitting, cooking and community work– especially charity work and teaching Vietnamese youth. She became well known and loved at Saint Paul Parish in San Pablo, California. She served as the president of the Congressional Mothers of Pauline Community and most recently was the Principal of the Franciscan Vietnamese Language School from 1996 to 2005.

Theresa Dang was a dedicated and loving mother, wife, grandmother, and teacher. She is survived by her daughters Thu Nguyen, Le(Bay) Nguyen, Nga (Dana) Malekzadeh, Lien (James) Nguyen, Huong (Nick) Nguyen, Vi Nguyen, and Phuong(Loc) Nguyen; grandchildren Alexander (Annie) Malekzadeh, Ly (Louis) Nguyen, Julius (Will) Fang, Thien Le, Tam Le, Quynh Lam Tran, and Khoi Tran; and 4 great-grandchildren.

Funeral Mass will be held Tuesday, February 18th, 2020 at 11:00am at Saint Paul Catholic Church 1845 Church Lane, San Pablo, California.