Thursday, December 26, 2024
As the son-in-law of Pham (we called her Ma), I am very sorry that she passed away. I wish her peace and I send my condolences to our family and those who miss her.
She left us at 91 years old. In our tradition, a funeral for those over 80 years is called a "Smile Funeral" or "Life Celebration" for those lucky enough to live such a long life.
I am very proud of Ma. She took on huge challenges when she led 4 children and a 1-year-old grandchild to escape from Vietnam to Malaysia in a small and crowded fishing boat through the rough sea for 7 days. Her family benefited from her leadership, wisdom, hard work, and courage. She and her family arrived in Ottawa with empty hands and a few clothes on their backs. Although she was unused to this kind of life, she worked hard as a housekeeper and brought up her children to have successful lives in Canada and the US.
Although she passed away, her love, kindness, and support always shone in our hearts. She always wanted us to be strong, healthy, and happy. We feel grateful to her for all her efforts to raise her family for 45 years and we will stand strong together for the years to come.
Philip Lai, Oanh's husband
