Van Thanh Nguyen

Van Thanh Nguyen of Urbandale passed away at MercyOne Medical Center in Des Moines, Iowa, on the twentieth day of October 2022 at the age of 71.

Van was born in Long Xuyen, Vietnam, on the sixth day of July 1951. He served in the South Vietnamese Airforce as a helicopter mechanic. As part of the US Navy’s Operation Frequent Wind, he was able to escape the communists as an American refugee aboard the USS Midway on April 30, 1975.

Upon arriving in America, Van began his new life in Des Moines, Iowa. He began working as a technician at Home Plastics, where he remained until his retirement in 2019. He often worked tireless amounts of overtime to provide for his family.

Van was an avid fisherman and would frequently go to Saylorville Lake to catch catfish and walleye. He also loved to cook and had a major sweet tooth. Often, you could find Van tending to his garden and plants, and he loved nothing more than sharing his homegrown fruits and vegetables with the community.

Van Thanh Nguyen is survived by the mother of his children, ThanhHuong Vo; his firstborn son Truc Nguyen; his daughter Kimchi Nguyen; and his granddaughter Lauren Jane Mushkin (age 3). He is also survived by his eight siblings, all of whom live in Vietnam: Nguyen Thi Phuong (oldest sister), Nguyen Thi Thanh Nga (sister), Nguyen Thi Thanh Thuy (sister), Nguyen Thanh Dung (brother), Nguyen Thanh Danh (brother), Nguyen Thanh Van (brother), Nguyen Thanh Thoai (brother), Nguyen Thanh Thiet (brother). He was preceded in death by: Nguyen Van Thanh (father), Le Thi Duc (mother).

Funeral services will be held at Caldwell-Parrish Funeral Home & Crematory on the twenty-ninth day of October 2022 from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm.