Bach Lien Tong Duong, 72, of Gainesville, FL, passed away on April 8, 2021 in Gainesville.
Lien was born in Long Xuyen, Vietnam to Hoan Van Tong and Hue Thi Nguyen on May 1, 1948. She graduated in 1967 from Thoai Ngoc Hau high school in Long Xuyen. She escaped Vietnam with her sisters following the war and arrived in the U.S. in 1975. In 1976, she and her sisters opened Gainesville’s first ever Vietnamese restaurant, Inn of the White Lotus, to help the sisters get through college. She earned a B.S. in Computer Engineering from the University of Florida in 1984 and started a career as a Computer/I.T. Analyst for the Gainesville Sun and the UF’s Infirmary. She retired from UF in 2015.
Her passions included cooking Vietnamese cuisine and helping to develop the Vietnamese community in Gainesville. Lien was part of a team that created and taught UF’s first Vietnamese language course. She also spearheaded the annual Pho Fundraiser in support of UF’s Vietnamese Student Organization for over 30 years. In her last few years, Lien’s final legacy would be to help establish the Amitabha Buddhist Association, a Buddhist temple in Gainesville.
She was preceded in death by her mother Hue Thi Nguyen (1957), her father Hoan Van Tong (1995) and her stepmother Huong Tho Ngo (2004).
Lien is survived by her husband Dr. Anh Hoang Duong, son Long Hoang Duong (Isabel), of Gainesville, daughter Huong Duong (Vince) of Marina CA, sisters Thuy Tong Carroll (Edward), Lan Tong Barlow (Donald) of Gainesville, Am NgocNguyen (Hoang) of High Springs, Duyen My Tong (Thanh) ofAustin, TX, Oanh Hoang Nguyen (Sieu) of Santa Ana, CA, brother Liem Hieu Tong of Gainesville, and three grandchildren, Andre Vincent (15), Belen Thanh (9) and Paz Maria Lien (5).
Funeral service will be held on April 14, 2021 from 9:00am to 1:00pm at Forest Meadows Funeral Home, 725 NW 23rd Ave, Gainesville, FL. Burial will immediately follow at Forest Meadows Cemetery at 3700 SE Hawthorne Rd, Gainesville, FL.
In lieu of flowers, collected donations will be forwarded to not-for-profits that she favored. Condolences may be left in Bach Lien Tong Duong’s guestbook www.forestmeadowsfh.com
Arrangements are under the care of Forest Meadows FuneralHome, 725 NW 23rd Ave, Gainesville, Fl. 32609 352-378-2528.
My deepest condolences to Cô Liên’s family. She was a second mother to all of the members of VSO at UF. She will always be remembered for her beautiful caring heart. We love you and will miss you, Cô Liên. ❤️
Our deepest condolences to dượng Anh and cô Liên ‘s family. She is friendly, kind loving person as I remember her! She will be in our heart ❤️
Praying for peace and strength for your big loss!
Xin thật thành chia buồn cùng dượng Anh, Long và gia đình.
DiễmTrang ( con gái lớn của ông Thời – cô Liên’s cousin)
Xin chia buồn cùng gia đình chị Liên, và các em của chị Liên. Nhớ đến chị là em nhớ đến nụ cười của chị và the Lotus Inn- Một thời điểm, và chỗ hẹn của sinh viên Việt Nam lúc bấy giờ. Chị đã có một đời sống đẹp và em tin rằng chị đã đi vào miền an lạc. Vô cùng thương tiếc.
Tonnu BichNgoc. UF – niên khoá 1981.
So sorry to hear of Bach Lien’s passing. Praying for strength and comfort for Anh, Long and all of her family. I met her in a French class at Santa Fe in 1980and she introduced me to Dr. Duong. He and I were roommates for several years while he while he studied nearly every waking moment to acquire certification to practice medicine in the U.S. They are fantastic people and I was honored to attend their wedding. Bach Lien prepared many feasts for us and I can attest to their many superlative qualities with which they were both endowed. First class people and wonderful friends. For more than 40 years, I have always admired them greatly.
I had the privilege of knowing Bach Lien while we both worked at the Reitz Union. Her joy, beauty and intelligence were greatly appreciated. We would see one another over the years… she was always so warm and welcoming. She is gone too soon…
THANH THAT. CHIA. BUON CUNG BAC. SI ANH VA. GIA DINH .
SU. CO. TINH. CHAN VA LY NGOC. KY TAMPA .