Died January 3, 2020.

Kirk Elementary School, Houston, TX

Paraprofessional

Obituary:

Lê Phương Linh was born on October 26, 1951, in Hải Phòng, Vietnam. At the age of 69, she passed away on January 3, 2021, in Houston, Texas, at Methodist West Hospital. A victim of the coronavirus pandemic, she was not allowed to have her family members in attendance, however, an online group viewing was provided for the family before her death.

Linh was the daughter of Lê Minh Thịnh and Nguyễn Thị Liên, who had 4 daughters and 2 sons. Her father taught English to the Vietnamese people in Hải Phòng. In 1954, their family ran from the northern Communist party and escaped to South Vietnam. She went to a French Catholic school, Saint Paul, fluently speaking and writing in French. Linh went to the University of Law in Saigon and nearly finished her degree until her studies were interrupted when the country lost to the Communist party. She then became a junior high teacher, instructing on history and geography.

After the Vietnam War’s Fall of Saigon in 1975 and multiple attempts of escape, Linh was able to finally leave Vietnam in 1981 with her brother and sister. Escaping by boat, they were at sea without food or water for 3 days. Harassed by pirates, their boat was saved by a German ship, which they boarded and stayed on for a month before being dropped off in the Philippines. For months on the island’s refugee camp, Linh was the teacher aide and Vietnamese/English interpreter for the British volunteers who came to help the refugees transition to America. With the help from their oldest sister, they were sponsored in Tulsa, Oklahoma. On July 1981, Linh and her siblings were on a plane to their new lives in the United States.

Linh met and married her husband, Nguyễn Dang Linh, and moved with him to Houston, Texas, in 1982. They had two children, Christine Lan Vi Nguyen (1983) and David Vinh Nguyen (1984). She was naturalized and became a U.S. citizen in 1988. She worked as a teacher aide at Kirk Elementary School, and her hobbies were cooking, baking, traveling, socializing with friends, and exercising (she loved Zumba). Linh was the most loving and caring wife and mother to her family. A bright light and loved by all, most knew Linh for her sweet smile, kind words, and thoughtful gifts.

She is survived by her husband and two children, along with sisters, Lê Bích Từ, Hô`Phương Mai, Trần Phương Anh, and brother, Lê Thế Trường. Her saint name is Marie Lê Phương Linh.