Linda Nguyen

Linda Nguyen (Cung Thi Kim Ngan) was born on December 2, 1936, in Ngan Son, Vietnam, where she grew up with her parents, two brothers and one sister.
Linda was married to John Nguyen in 1959. Eventually, together they moved to Da Lat where they raised six of their children and then moved to Saigon in 1971 where they had their seventh child. While in Saigon, Linda, who was very entrepreneurial, opened a shop that sold different varieties of premium rice. Linda was most generous and when neighbors and other customers could not afford to pay her, she would frequently extend credit to them. She had a heart of gold.
On April 30, 1975, as the communist pushed further south into Saigon, John and Linda contemplated fleeing Vietnam so that the family could live somewhere without the oppression of communism. Linda was the driving force in getting the family out of Saigon during the fall. The night before the escape out of Saigon, John was leery of leaving and losing everything they owned. Linda convinced John to leave and assured him that they could start over should they lose everything. Linda started preparing for the long journey by sewing backpacks for everyone with some essentials (food, water etc). Since banks were closed and there was no access to money, Linda bought gold wafers. She made a belt and sewed the gold wafers into it. On the day of the escape, Linda and her seven children, were taken one by one by John, on his Vespa motor scooter, to the Bach Dang seaport to board one of the final merchant ships. It was at the seaport where Linda used her gold wafer to buy their spot on one of the boats. It was through Linda's foresight and determination that the family was able to secure their place on the last boat out of Saigon.
After running out of fuel in international waters Linda and her family were rescued at sea by the US Navy. However, since they took women and children first, Linda and the Children were separated from her husband John for more than a month and ultimately, they were reunited in a refugee camp on Guam Island. From Guam they were transferred to Wake Island and eventually were flown to Fort Chaffee in Arkansas. It was in Arkansas that the gold came in handy again as she snipped little pieces so that she could buy different things for John and the children. Through the graciousness of the HIAS organization, Linda, John, and their family were relocated to NYC in November of 1975.
While in NYC Linda took care of the children while John went back to school at the Technical Career Institute. John ultimately landed a position at the Bendix Corporation in Eatontown, NJ in 1978. Upon John securing the position at Bendix, Linda, John, and the entire family moved to Ocean Grove, NJ. In 1980 Linda and John bought their first and only home in Asbury Park, NJ, where they both lived until their passing - John on May 7, 2023, and Linda on Tuesday, March 12, 2024, a short 10 months later.
Once the family settled in Asbury Park, Linda took a job working at the Laird Company in Colts Neck, NJ. Mom had an amazing relationship with her coworkers. One day after picking 5 of the 6 NJ Pick Six Lottery, she took some of her winnings and had a party for all her coworkers. She would frequently make and share Vietnamese food with her co-workers and always gave them something that could only be bought in Chinatown, NYC. Mom was very vivacious, and she loved people. She loved everyone from neighbors and fellow workers to total strangers. Linda was always on the go. She loved plants and gardening, sewing, and knitting sweaters for every new grandchild.
In 1995, Linda suffered from a stroke. Unfortunately, the stroke robbed her of her short-term memory. So instead of being the one kicking John out of the kitchen, she became John's sous chef and helped him prepare the daily meals. Linda was very witty and had quite a sense of humor. She was a joker, and all the kids and grandchildren loved her so very deeply. She made all her sons-in-law and daughters-in-law feel like they were one of her very own. She showered them with love and brought them tremendous happiness.
Linda was the most loving, kind, and compassionate wife, mother, and grandmother. She truly loved her family more than anything else. She loved walking on the boardwalk in Ocean Grove with John, the love of her life who she had been married to for 64 years. She watched cooking shows and made the best Vietnamese egg rolls and other specialty dishes. Every year together with her husband John, they would host the Vietnamese New Year Celebration where the entire family would gather and celebrate together.
As the global pandemic started, Linda started to begin showing signs of dementia. Unfortunately, dementia progressed over the past four years. Despite having dementia, the family was blessed that Linda always knew who each child and grandchild were and continued to express her love for all of them.
Linda is survived by her seven children and their spouses, Ken & Elaine Nguyen, Guy & Boa Kim Nguyen, Mia & Philip Whitman, Quin Nguyen & Dana Muchmore, Kim Ha Nguyen, Kham Nguyen & Terry Park and Kim Ngoc Nguyen & Tony Ning, as well as hers twelve grandchildren Brandon Nguyen, Charlene Nguyen, Charlie Whitman, Jake Whitman, Alex Whitman, Mya Nguyen, Khai Nguyen, Rachel Sturm, Christopher Nguyen, Jonah Nguyen, Ethan Ning and Kyle Ning. She is also survived by her brother Bach Cung.
There will be a visitation and a traditional Buddhist ceremony on Friday, March 15, 2024, beginning at 9:30am and ending at 1pm at Fiore-Buckley Funeral Home, 236 Monmouth Road in Oakhurst, Ocean Township, NJ.
If you would like to contribute to the Alzheimer's Association in Linda's memory, you may do so online at: http://act.alz.org/goto/Memory-of-Linda-Nguyen.
For condolences, please visit www.fiorefuneralhomes.com.