Mary Clifford "Mary Tuyet Pham"'s Obituary
MARY TUYET PHAM OBITUARY (1934-2021)
“Love to be real, it must cost-it must hurt-it must empty of self.”~ Mother Theresa
It is with great sadness that we announce that Maria Theresa Mary Tuyết Phạm Clifford passed away peacefully surrounded by her family on Saturday April 3, 2021, at age 87 years old. Mary Tuyết was born in Hà Nội, Việt Nam to Phạm Trung Lợi and Trần Thị Hồ.
Mary Tuyết is survived by two younger sisters and three sisters-in-law with 21 nieces and nephews. She was a loving Mother of ten children, two sons-in-law, and five daughters-in-law: Lan, Nhung, Cường, Phát (Dung), Long (Thuấn), Tú (Hiền), Lộc (Bonna), Vân (Tăng), Vinh (Pam), Quang (Pisey). She is also survived by 22 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Mary Tuyết and her family lived in Saigon, Viet Nam until 1979. In order to escape from the new government regime, together with her husband and their 9 children, they escaped by boat to find freedom. After two months of wanderings from one refugee camp to another in Thailand, the family finally arrived safely as a refugee here in the US. Shortly after arriving in San Leandro, California, the family decided to move one more time to Texas and had been living here since.
Mary Tuyết had been a member of the Legion of Mary since 1984 and served as President of the Vietnamese Martyrs Church- Legion of Mary for one term 1990-1992. Together she and her husband were very active in many Church organizations such as the Vietnamese Catholic Daughters of Mary, Cursillo, and Liên Minh Thánh Tâm. Her life can be summed up by one of her granddaughter’s reflection: “She radiated unconditional love and drew communities around her, not only in the family but in church, grocery stores, the YMCA—everywhere she went.”
In 1 13:13 Corinthians, Paul describes three virtues gifts that will last forever: Faith, Hope, and Love. Mary's spiritual life is full of faith because she always trusts in God. Despite many medical ailments, she never once complained of her pain because she never lost faith in God and that with miracles God will heal her.
In Hope, she devoted her life to God and Mother Mary by praying the rosary. Together with her husband, they went to many pilgrimage sites to pray such as The Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes, France. Our Lady of La Vang, Viet Nam, and the St. Joseph Oratory of Mount Royal. Every night and at the anniversary of the death of the loved ones, she prayed and offered masses for the deceased. She hopes that God will grant her and the repose of the soul eternal life.
The third virtue, the greatest of these is Love. In Love, she cherished every moment of her life with her family. She devoted and sacrificed her life to her husband and her children. Even near death, she was not afraid and asked to come home to be with her family. In the end, her love & faith had won and she was able to come home for 30 days. During the last days of her life, she once again was able to receive the Sacrament of the Eucharist, the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and the Anointment of the Sick. When asked by Fr. Giovanni Hung if she is afraid and her response was: “I am very happy with what is given to me. I am now ready when the time comes.” Spiritually, she devoted her life to Blessed Virgin Mary. In preparing for her end of life, Mary Tuyết asked to wear the blue Vietnamese trational dress, Áo Dài Xanh Đức Mẹ, the uniform attire of the Vietnamese Catholic Daughters of Vietnamese Court Mary where she once was the President of the Legion at the burial.
Her love of God has won because her spiritual life had captured the heart of those surrounding her. She had left the greatest legacy behind because of stories she impacted others. She will live on in the hearts of the people she touches. She had left her children and her grandchildren not money, not material things but a legacy of character and faith.
A Tribute to a dear Sister in celebrating her life, Mary Tuyết ~ Jennifer Nguyễn
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