Dr. Dominic Dovanquy PhD.

On Wednesday, March 25, 2020, Dr. Dominic Dovanquy, PhD., loving husband, father of four children and grandfather of seven children, passed away peacefully at his home in New Jersey at the age of 93. Dominic was born Do Van Quy, in Nam Ding, Vietnam to Do Khau Hau and Pham Thi Hien. Funded by his church, he came to the US to get an education. He studied philosophy at St. Joseph's Seminary and College, and earned his Ph.D. in biology at Fordham University. He loved the US and adopted the name "Dominic," creating a new last name for himself of Dovanquy, which would forever lead to lots of explanation to confused friends. Dominic met his wife, Ann, in NYC, and the two returned to Vietnam, where the first 3 (Susan, Minh, and Tuan) of their 4 children were born. Dominic served as Chief of the Entomology Section in the Malaria Eradication Program of South Vietnam. He then directed three laboratories at the Pasteur Institute of Vietnam: Entomology, Plague and Enteric Disease. He also served in the Southeast Asia Tropical Medicine Education & Research Project and the Joint Collaborative Program with Walter Reed Army Institute of Research in Washington, D.C., with the Pasteur Institute of Vietnam. His contributions in cataloging and identifying malaria/plague-carrying mosquitos can now be viewed at the Smithsonian Institution. After fleeing war-torn Saigon, Dominic and his family settled in New Jersey, where they welcomed their fourth child, Theresa. He secured a position with The American Cancer Society in 1970 to restructure the Scientific Advisory Committees and then worked managing the Research Program Analysis. During this time, he proudly became a naturalized US citizen. The American Cancer Society relocated to Atlanta, GA in 1988, and the family moved with them, starting a new life in Dunwoody, GA. After his retirement from his 30-year long career with The ACS, Dominic focused his energies on one of his favorite hobbies: woodworking. A lifelong devout Catholic, he volunteered at All Saints Catholic Church in Dunwoody, GA as a very dedicated and productive handyman. For 20 years, he did everything from minor repairs to built-in bookcases. He loved his days at the church workshop. Dominic was a brilliant, talented, accomplished man who instilled his grit and drive (and handyman skills) into his four kids. But above all that, he was a loving, kind, generous, and just plain happy and thankful guy with a passion for life that was contagious. It was hard to catch him NOT smiling. He was also very funny, delivering witty remarks and sage wisdom in a surprising way only a man with his thick accent could. He loved being around his grandchildren. He loved red Polo shirts and thought he looked pretty handsome in them. He always carried a camera and loved to take pictures of the family in his signature photojournalistic style, catching people in the act of doing everyday things. Ann and Dominic enjoyed a very active lifestyle together. They traveled the world, took beach vacations, worked in Ann's garden, and disappeared for hours on long walks. Always social, Dominic loved to go to lunch with his ACS work buddies, a tradition that continued many years after his retirement. As the family's master craftsman, Dominic added a fireplace and chimney to one of his houses, built a dollhouse and heirloom quality furniture, and along the way, patiently passed on his skills to his children. He attended morning mass every day, even when it was in a language other than one of the four languages he already spoke. He watched Braves games, taking notes so he could later look up the baseball terms he didn't know. In his later years, after developing some dementia, Dominic settled into a quieter lifestyle which included watching lots of CNN and listening to his old opera and classical music records. He still played songs by heart on the piano and ukulele, mostly Hallelujah and Oh Come All Ye Faithful. Despite not talking much, he would still always greet everyone with a smile and a "what's up?" He was loved by his wife, his kids, and his grandchildren. He will be missed and remembered in stories and every time we eat spring rolls, pho, lobster, or order a beer at a restaurant as, "I'll have a beer." Dominic is survived by his wife of 60 years, Ann, children: Susan, Minh, Thomas (Tuan), Theresa, daughters-in-law Tracy and Laura, son-in-law John, grandchildren: Connor, Trevor, Katie, Andrew, Walker, Bay and Maggie Lu, and many nieces and nephews from Vietnam. A celebration of life will be held this summer in Atlanta, Ga. Please give generously in his memory to The American Cancer Society.