https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/san-diego-ca/john-hoang-11260181
John Hai Hoang, 80, born Son Hai Hoang in Quảng Trạch district in the Quảng Bình province of
Central Vietnam to Thai and Lay in summer of 1942. He passed away on April 20, 2023, due to
complications from colon cancer. His funeral and burial will be held on Tuesday, April 25, 2023,
at Holy Cross Cemetery, 4470 Hilltop Drive, San Diego, Ca 92102. This will be a closed casket
event. Guests can start arriving at 10 A.M. and mass will start at 11 A.M. with burial
immediately after.
In his childhood, John was bright, confident, and athletic and excelled in soccer and all things
outdoors. Unfortunately, childhood enjoyments were short-lived as they family relocated to Da
Nang, Vietnam during summer of 1954 with the start of the Vietnam war. He then spent the next
several years helping to feed and care for his numerous younger brothers and sisters. He
eventually joined the Vietnamese Navy as a young man. There his bravery and fearlessness led
him to join Navy Seals special operations forces until their departure in 1972. At the fall of South
Vietnam, he was able to escape in early 1975 with the US military. Making sure that his most
prized possession, his family, and his pictures of their lives together were safeguarded, so that
they could start their new lives in America.
While on his first leave from the Navy, he fell in love with a gorgeous, tall young lady singing in
a choir at church mass. He pursued and wooed her until she finally agreed to be his wife several
years later. Toa Nguyen and John were married for over 30 years until her death in February of
2002, raising seven children, and numerous other family members throughout their life together
in San Diego, California. Fortunately, love came again to John in his later years when he was
introduced to Tuyet Pham. He spent his golden years traveling the world with her and building a
new life in Glendale, Arizona.
John will be greatly missed by his second wife, Tuyet, and his surviving children Tien and
husband Vu, Joseph and wife Jodi, Sally and husband Joshua, Corona and husband Kreg, and
Paul; his grandchildren Courtney, Caitlien, Vivian, Nyssa, Jaelyn, Brielle, Brennon, Paityn,
Skyler, Kobe, Luke and William; his brothers and sisters Hiep, Chau and wife Ngoc, Dieu and
husband Larry, Phu and wife An, Truong and wife Thanh, Hue and husband Hung, Duc and wife
Uyen, and Hanh and husband Paul.
John had the biggest heart and was ever willing to help anyone and everyone. His house was
always full of extended family members. Not only did he offer his home to anyone in need he
also volunteered countless hours helping Catholic youth groups, choirs, and whatever else the
church needed. He was strong-willed, impatient, and stubborn with a heart-of-gold, which made
him a jack-of-all-trades and a problem solver for any and all.
John has now joined his first wife and two sons as they go fishing on shores we cannot see. He is
now free of pain and his favorite catchphrase to how he’s doing, “Don’t worry,” comes to mind.