T.C. Tethong

TETHONG, T.C. (Tsewang Choegyal)

T.C. (Tsewang Choegyal) Tethong left this life peacefully at home on March 12, 2024 in Victoria, B.C. - traditional land of the Songhees and Esquimalt Nations - with his wife of 56 years, Judy (Judith) Nanette (nee Pullen) holding his hand. Though he did not live to see freedom restored to his homeland of Tibet, T.C. never gave up hope and dedicated his life in service to that mission - first in the Missamari Transit Camp for Tibetan refugees on the Indo-Tibet border in 1959, then as interpreter, secretary and ambassador of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, and later as a cabinet minister in the Tibetan Government in Exile.

Born in 1934, in an independent Tibet, to Dolma Tsering (nee Dekyiling) and Gyurme Gyatso Tethong, then Governor General of Eastern Tibet, T.C's exact birth date is unknown, but it is certain that it was in Chamdo during the summer of the Tibetan astrological year of the Wood Dog. Tragically, his mother died when he was just two years old, and his father when he was four, and so he was raised primarily by his devoted eldest siblings.

T.C. first attended primary school in Lhasa before traveling two weeks by horseback from Lhasa to North India where he attended St. Joseph's School (North Point) in Darjeeling, Goethals Memorial School in Kurseong and finally St. Augustine's School in Kalimpong where he also taught for a brief time. T.C. received his Bachelor's of Science from St. Joseph's College/Calcutta University and later continued his education in Germany where he studied political science at Tubingen University and the Aachen Institute of Technology from 1960-1963. He later received his Honours BA in Modern Chinese History from the University of Victoria as well as a diploma in Public Administration from the University of Victoria while also working full time and raising three small children. He spoke Tibetan, Chinese, English, Hindi and German

T.C. is perhaps best known amongst Tibetans in exile as a pioneer of the Tibetan refugee resettlement project in South India, including for his role in establishing Doeguling (Mundgod) in 1966 - one of the largest Tibetan settlements in India that is today home to more than 8,000 refugees and nine monasteries. There, he and Judy lived in a tent, then a bamboo hut, and later a small cottage for the first eight years of their marriage. Alongside thousands of Tibetans who had lost everything due to China's invasion and occupation of their nation, they worked to build a sustainable farming cooperative while battling venomous snakes, wild boars and hyenas, as well as tropical disease, malnutrition, and the devastating loss of many precious Tibetan lives.

In 1975, T.C. was recruited to work at Lester B. Pearson United World College of the Pacific and moved with his family to Victoria. In 1983, he opened "Tibet Place' in Victoria's Harbour Public Market. T.C. also led the Inter-cultural Association (ICA) of Victoria and worked at the B.C. Ministry of Social Services. He helped organize the landmark first visit of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to Canada in 1980, to Vancouver and Victoria in 1983 and 1993, and the historic visit in 2004 that included a roundtable dialogue with Nobel laureates Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Shirin Ebadi at the UBC. He served as an advisor for the Dalai Lama's 2006 visit to Vancouver. He also co-founded and led the Canada Tibet Committee's Victoria chapter and served on the board of directors of the national organization, including as chair (2004-2006).

In late 1996, T.C. moved back to New Delhi, India to serve as the Representative (ambassador) of the Dalai Lama and then Kalon (cabinet minister) of the Department of Information and International Relations (1997-2001). After his term ended, T.C. returned to Victoria where he engaged in various Tibet-related projects, serving on the board of directors of the Tibet Fund and as an honorary professor at the UBC.

T.C. embodied the characteristics of his zodiac animal - and was loyal, generous, and courageous to the end. He was as warm, funny and down to earth as he could be straightforward and honest when the stakes were high. He was a quiet and deeply faithful Buddhist, while also being progressive and open-minded to people of all faiths and backgrounds. He loved old movies and good music of every style - from Sinatra and Nat King Cole to John Denver and Dolly Parton. And he had an impeccable sense of style - whether wearing a baseball hat, flat cap, or fedora, he was always the best dressed.

Due to China's ongoing occupation of Tibet, T.C. was forced to spend most of his life as a political exile, with his people scattered around the world, and yet, he and his siblings managed to foster a tight-knit and loving family spanning many borders and generations. T.C. will be forever missed by Judy and his children, Tenzin Losel and Kristi (Toronto), Deyden Dolma and Jason (San Francisco), and Lhadon and Dhondup Phuntsok (Boston) as well as three beloved adopted children, Dorjee (India), Thinley and Sonam Bhuti (USA), and seven cherished grandchildren to whom he was "Pola", Sef (18) and Kai Tashi Tethong (16), Rinzin Namgyal (12) and Kelsang Simonian (8), and Dorjee Norbu (7), Tenzin Loden and Tenzin Kheydup (4) Phunkhang. He was predeceased by four adopted children, Phuntsok (Nepal), Tenzin Lhagyal (Mainpat), Chodon Kalsang (Bir) and Tsering Youdon (Portland), his nephew, Puntsog Namgyal (New York), his grandson, Tashi Dhondup, and his six beloved elder siblings - Lobsang Dekyi, Tsering Wangmo, Sonam Tomjor, Rakra Rinpoche, Sopal and Tashi Chodon.

T.C. was also a dearly loved Agu/Ashang/Uncle to 33 nieces and nephews of the Tethong and Pullen-Young Clans in Tibet, India, Switzerland, the United States and Canada, as well as many others around the world.

The family would like to thank the many compassionate friends, neighbors and caregivers - the most perfect definition of community - who helped T.C. and Judy navigate the challenges of the last few years, and who helped make it possible for T.C. to live at home until the end, especially Krista, Tenpa, Dawa Dolma, Shakti, Shirley, Gabe, Kai, Cheryl, Adrienne and Brendan.

In lieu of flowers, please make donations to: StudentsForaFreeTibet.org