Catherine Duong

In Loving Memory
Catherine Duong (née Cao Thi Dang)
Beloved Mother and Grandmother
Catherine Duong, a devoted mother and grandmother, passed away peacefully on June 29, 2025, in Portland, Oregon, surrounded by her loving family. She was 79 years old.
Born on April 19, 1946, in Hung Yen, Vietnam, Catherine was the youngest of five children born to Cao Van Diem and Nguyen Thi Ga. In 1954, as North Vietnam came under communist control, her family fled to the South.
It was in Dalat, a highland city known for its cool weather and pine-lined hills, that Catherine met Paul Duong (Duong Xuan Kinh). After a brief courtship, they married on September 12, 1970. In the early years of their marriage, Paul was serving in the military and Catherine lived the life of an army wife. All of that changed in April 1975, when the advancing North Vietnamese army forced them to flee with their young daughter to the United States, just weeks before the fall of Saigon.
After arriving at Camp Pendleton, a Marine base in Southern California, Catherine and her family were warmly received by the generous Lindsay family, who sponsored their resettlement and offered them a place to live in Heppner, Oregon. By late 1976, Catherine and Paul had relocated to Portland. In 1980, they settled in Beaverton, by which time they had already welcomed two more daughters.
Like so many refugees, Catherine worked tirelessly, holding various jobs for more than 30 years to build a new life and provide opportunities for her children. She retired from Xerox in 2008 and turned her attention to what she loved most: spending time with her grandchildren and traveling with her husband.
Throughout her life, Catherine had a wide range of interests. She especially enjoyed singing karaoke, playing the slots at Spirit Mountain, and whipping up delicious dishes in the kitchen (always cooking with heart but never with measurements, much to her daughters' frustration). She was kind, quick to laugh, and always up for a good joke.
In her later years, Catherine became a jigsaw puzzle enthusiast, completing every Ravensburger 750-piece puzzle available for purchase. She went through so many that her children implored her to slow down, just to give the puzzle-makers a chance to catch up. With her tortoiseshell glasses and trademark persistence, it was impossible not to smile and cheer her on, especially in that triumphant moment when she clicked the final piece into place. Her family celebrated every texted photo of a completed puzzle as if it were breaking news. And while her puzzling brought plenty of joy, Catherine will be remembered most for her warmth, her spirit, and her infectious laugh.
Catherine was preceded in death by her parents; her infant son, Kien; her husband; and her eldest brother, Giuse Cao (Cao Dang Tuong).
She is survived by her siblings, Father Vincent Cao (Cao Dang Minh), Kim Vu (née Cao Kim Tan), and Christine Vuky (née Cao Kim Tram); her daughters and sons-in-law, Theresa and Sam Rejab, Julie Duong, and Elizabeth and Stephen Brawner; her beloved grandchildren, Ben and Maddie Rejab, who were her greatest joy; and Flash, the family dog she loved to "accidentally" feed, especially when he was on a diet.