Kinh Minh Duong

San Marcos - Kinh Minh Duong, 89, of San Marcos, CA, passed away peacefully at home on July 31, 2024. Born on June 29, 1935 in Kien Khe, Ha Nam, Vietnam to parents Huy Quang Duong and Ly Thi Nguyen, Kinh attended a Catholic seminary school. He graduated from the Higher School of Pedagogy in Saigon and the University of Saigon. He became a teacher in My Tho and later a principal at two high schools in Saigon. On December 27, 1964, he married Kim Chi Thi Nguyen. From September 1967 until April 1975, he represented Gia-Dinh Province in the House of Representatives in the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam). In 1969, as a legislator, he visited Stevens Point, WI for a higher education research program.

On April 28, 1975, the Duong family fled their homeland via U.S. military aircraft. Two days later, Saigon fell. The Duong family settled in Stevens Point, WI in June 1975. During those Wisconsin years, Kinh supported Vietnamese people in their transition to new lives in America, worked as a senior systems specialist at Sentry Insurance from 1976 until his retirement in 2000, earned two master's degrees, and was a parishioner and frequent volunteer at St. Stephen Catholic Church. Kinh and Kim Chi were most proud of having raised their seven children.

In 2002, Kinh and Kim Chi moved to Riverside, CA. Kinh was active in the local Vietnamese Catholic community and spent time with family, friends, and former colleagues and students. In 2023, Kinh and his wife moved to San Marcos, CA to live with one of their daughters. His family will remember him as having been a caring husband and father and a doting grandfather. His high intellect was matched by his extraordinary ability to connect with people. A man of strong faith and unwavering integrity, he dedicated his life to serving God, family, and community.

Kinh is survived by his wife, seven children, and fourteen grandchildren.