Chau Ngoc Nguyen of St. Petersburg passed away peacefully on Saturday, April 8, 2023 at Northside Hospital surrounded by his wife and children.

Chau was born on July 4, 1944, in Tam Tong Vietnam. He rose to the rank of Captain in the Special Forces Command (Airborne) during the Vietnam War. He rescued 11 family members during the final days of the war and left his country in 1975. He resettled first in West Point, New York with the help of his late friend and commanding officer Colonel James Lee Zachary. Chau and his family then moved to St. Petersburg, Florida in 1977.

Chau was eager to rebuild his life for his children and family. He received an A.S. in Computer Science and A.A. in Computer Graphics from St. Petersburg Junior College. For years, he worked at Honeywell as a Technical Data/Editor of Engineering and continued his education with certifications in AutoCad and Computer Graphics. He also worked at Geonex, and in retirement he owned a graphic art business.

Chau was a devout member of Holy Martyrs of Vietnam Catholic Church and Holy Cross. He also volunteered at the Salvation Army. He enjoyed reading, listening to music, and entertaining loved ones. He looked forward each day to his walks in the park.

Chau is survived by his wife, Oanh; his second wife Minh, and his first wife, Van, and their six children, Bang (Meg), Giang, Ha (Colleen), Son (Dawn), Tien, and Julie (Dennis); his grandchildren Ulric, Jett and Hayden; and sisters Ruou and Nhuan and many nephews and nieces in Texas and Vietnam.