Ruby Henry
Eulogy for Nhung Kien Clark
Written by Rufus Clark
This is a love story that stretches across two continents- Asia and North America. It all began with a glass of water. Over fifty years ago, on a hot and sweltering day, an American soldier serving in the Vietnam War, fortuitously, met this bright-eyed young Cambodian-Chinese woman named "LyLy" (LeeLee) and he asked her for a glass of water. She hesitated. Surprisingly, she came back with a large glass filled to the brim. Such a chance meeting began a life together of enduring love and devotion.
"LyLy" or Nhung's early life in Vietnam was a struggle. She had neither a mother nor father to comfort and protect her at a very young age. Her mother was kidnapped by enemy forces and just vanished- never to be seen by the family again. Her father, a Cambodian military officer serving with the French army, lost his life in an airplane crash. Nhung was left alone to be cared for by her grandmother. Fortunately, her grandmother adored and protected her. However, life was still difficult.
Her early childhood was the prelude to how she would protect her family from the "slings and arrows" of everyday life. Upon moving from Vietnam to the United States and settling in the city of Hayward, Nhung devoted all her energy as a housewife to raising her son and two daughters. She wanted them to achieve what she could not in her home country. Being a Cambodian female in Vietnam was a huge disadvantage in acquiring a formal education. Consequently, she was determined to do all that she could to give her children a good education. Case in point: Nhung "scrimped and saved" to pay for her youngest daughter’s education while she attended the University of California at Berkeley. She was so proud when her daughter received her college degree. Her son and older daughter, too, achieved success in their own right and was a great source of pride to her.
Rufus was truly blessed to have a wife who loved him for so many years. It hurts him so much to see her gone. She was everything to him and will be terribly missed. He is mourning the loss of his wife, the mother to his children, and most of all his best friend. She knows that he loved her dearly and she appreciated his tireless efforts in helping her fight her many physical ailments. She was strong until the very end and never lost her Buddhist faith even in the most painful days. It gives him comfort that she is now free of pain and suffering.
Her family was her life and he can still see her in the faces of their children and grandchildren. He knows that her spirit lives on and that one day they will be reunited. He can picture her having a glass of water waiting for him.
