Son Dinh

So'n Dinh, lawyer, banker, international airport chief inspector, musician, electronics technician, and a devout Nichren Buddhist, passed away on Wednesday, July 19, 2023 in Gainesville, Florida. He was 89. So'n (means mountain) was born on June 21, 1934 in Saigon, Vietnam, the fourth of eleven children of Dinh Binh and Nguyen Thi Tho.

He was gifted in school and music from an early age. After 4-year college, he went on to earn two law degrees from Truong Dai Hoc Luat Khoa, Saigon, and McGill University in Montreal, Canada.

He was fluent in Vietnamese, English, and French. He excelled at classical piano and was a guest violinist in the Saigon symphony orchestra. He was also an amateur photographer with his own darkroom.

After earning his first law degree in 1959, he briefly worked at a bank, before receiving a scholarship from Bo Giao Duc Ministry of Education with which he chose to attend McGill University law school. He returned to Vietnam in 1961 with the second law degree. He was called to the Army reserve officer training for one year. He then worked as an inspector for Bo Giam Sat Ministry of Supervision.

In 1964, he married his beloved wife, Hoa Dang-Vu. Together they had 4 children.

He became President at Dai-A Ngan Hang bank, Vinh Long branch, then Chief Inspector for Air Vietnam at Tan Son Nhut International Airport, and finally a corporate lawyer at Esso in Saigon.

After the fall of Saigon on April 30, 1975, all of the American companies and businesses withdrew from South Vietnam, leaving both him and his wife jobless. He gave private piano lessons at home to make a living.

In October 1982, he and his family were granted entry to the United States as political refugees. His two law degrees were not honored here, because they were not from an American accredited college. So at the age of 48, he had to reinvent himself by going back to school to learn a new career. Every night, along with doing his homework, he helped each of his children do their homework. Yet he managed to earn his AS degree in Electronics in 1.5 years. He worked for Shands hospital in Gainesville, FL, until he retired.

The first half of his life was colorful and spirited. In the last half, he led a quiet and humble life, focusing on his family, friends, music and the community.

In retirement, he enjoyed travelling, visiting his 10 siblings and just as many cousins in the U.S., Paris and Saigon. He continued to play violin and frequently gave recitals at local assisted-living facilities and at his own Oak Hammock facility in Gainesville, FL.

So'n Dinh passed away peacefully in his sleep at Oak Hammock with his youngest son Huan by his side.

So'n Dinh was survived by his former wife Hoa Dang-Vu Dinh in Gainesville, FL,

daughter Kacy Loan Dinh and her daughter Morgan Gracy Veach in Atlanta, GA,

son Thang Dinh (wife Coco Gao) and daughter Dinh Gao Y-Minh in Suzhou, China,

son Zung Dinh (wife Huong Ninh) and their children Bao Dinh and Huong Thao Dinh in Tampa, FL,

son Huan Dinh in Gainesville, FL,

his younger sisters Dinh Thi Tu-Anh in Mountain View, CA, and Dinh Thi Phuong-Khanh in Villeneuve-Saint-Georges, France,

twenty-four nieces and nephews,

and many grandnieces and grandnephews around the U.S., France and Vietnam.

He was predeceased by his parents and 8 of his siblings, including his youngest brother, Khanh Dinh, a successful inventor, entrepreneur, philanthropist, who passed away in Gainesville, FL in 2022.

The funeral service was held at Forest Meadows Funeral Home, 725 NW 23rd Avenue, Gainesville, FL 32609, on Monday, July 24, 2023 at 10:00 am.