Nguyet Hendry

Nguyet Hendry
July 12, 1944 - May 20, 2021
Bradenton, Florida - Nguyen Thu Nguyet (my wife of 52 years) lost her battle with pancreatic cancer at 5:50 am. Thursday May 20, 2021. She was among the first & youngest of three Viet Nam "War Brides" to settle in Manatee County. She leaves behind her husband Tom, second daughter Lisa & three grandchildren; Summer, Sebastian & Cameran.
I met my wife during my second tour of duty in the Viet Nam War. She was so petite & beautiful, had a wonderful smile, a bit of flirt & a self-taught cook. We married in Viet Nam & nine months later I was in a midwife's hospital as our first child Cheryl was brought into our room: 8+ lbs. / blue eyes & black hair. I was in love for a second time.
Nguyet & Cheryl arrived in the U.S. the first month of 1970. We stayed at my mother's house six months, then Nguyet found us a duplex uptown. Our second child Lisa was born November 25, 1970 & our family was complete. Nguyet became a U.S. citizen 10 years after her arrival. As our children got older, my wife became a waitress, took a late lunch, drove home to cook the kids' dinner, then returned to work a second shift or twice a week took them back to school for band & drill team practice.
She was the heart & soul of this family & continued working multiple shifts until she retired at age 60.
Nguyet was a charter member of Woodland Baptist Church (now Woodland Community Church). Each Sunday she brought food, clothing & whatever else the homeless were in need of. She also wrote checks to three Vietnamese charities monthly. Over the years, she flew back to Viet Nam six times to see friends & family. As the oldest remaining child of what used to be a very rich & powerful family, she was the matriarch & over 100 people from surrounding districts came to honor her presence, talk of the old days & cook multiple feasts to acknowledge her return. There will be a Celebration of a life well-lived at Robert Toale & Sons Funeral Home at Manasota Memorial Park June 5, 2021 at 2:00 pm. Due to coronavirus only family members & invited friends will attend.