Obituary - Nga Ngoc Pham

PHAM, Nga Ngoc, 85, passed peacefully and entered into her Heavenly home on June 11, 2025. She was born April 1, 1940 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Nga was preceded in death by her beloved eldest daughter, Nhu-Trang Nguyen in Vietnam.

Those left to cherish her memories include six children, Son Nguyen (Trinh), Thuy-Trang Nguyen (Lanh), Huy Nguyen (Kelly), Khanh Nguyen (Be), Trang Salzberg and Tuan Nguyen (Yen); thirteen grandchildren, Triet, Tri, Thomas, Isabel, Alina, Kevin, Angela, Tina, Jennifer, Martin, Van Anh, Huy, and Hai, along with many extended family members and close friends.

Nga was the unwavering foundation of her family with an unquenchable thirst for knowledge. Orphaned at the age of two after the death of her mother, Nga was raised by her father and later was placed into a Catholic orphanage. She excelled academically and earned admission to the prestigious Lycée Marie Curie in Saigon, Vietnam. Before the end of the Vietnam War, she taught French at the University of Saigon Faculty of Pedagogy and Letters.

After 1975, she was unable to continue to teach at the university due to political changes. Nonetheless, she persevered, working as a trilingual translator (Vietnamese, French, and English) while raising seven children on her own. She was an acupuncturist at the Department of Anesthesia and Rehabilitation at Binh Dan hospital in Saigon and volunteered her time to treating members of the community, including clergy, religious sisters, and those in need.

In 1993, she reunited with her children in the United States, earned a Master’s Degree in French from George Mason University, and resumed teaching at Virginia Commonwealth University and local community colleges. Writing poetry in French and Vietnamese was one of Nga’s lifelong passions. She published several French poetry manuscripts and earned an Outstanding Achievement in Poetry Award from the International Society of Poets in 2004.

In retirement, Nga remained active practicing eastern medicine, traveling, gardening, reading, writing poetry, and participating in the choir at Saint Mary’s Catholic Church in Richmond, Virginia. Her family finds comfort in knowing that their mom’s legacy lives on through the lessons she taught them, the love she shared, and the memories they will cherish forever.

Viewing will be at Woody Funeral Home, 1771 North Parham Road, Richmond, Virginia 23229, from 5-7 pm, followed with prayer service from 7-9 pm on Friday, June 20, 2025.

Funeral services will be held 8:30 am Saturday, June 21, 2025 at Church of the Vietnamese Martyrs, 12500 Patterson Avenue, Richmond, VA 23238.

The funeral will also be broadcasted live “Thanh Le An Tang – Linh Hon Maria Theresa” on youtube.com.

A private cremation will follow at Woody Funeral Home.

In lieu of flowers, the family respectfully requests Mass offering and prayers for Maria Theresa Nga Ngoc Pham.

Online guestbook may be viewed at dignitymemorial.com.