Minh Duc Dao, 95, of Ontario, NY passed away peacefully surrounded by his loving family on March 28, 2025. He was born on September 2, 1929 in Nam Dinh, Vietnam. He married his wife of 57 years, Tinh Thi Xuan Nguyen, on June 16, 1963. With his family, he immigrated to the United States in 1975. He is survived by his sister, Dao Thi Hoi, three children, Thuy Xuan Dao-Priest, Mark (Man) Duc Dao, and Trang Xuan-Dao Lance, two sons-in-law, Jeffrey Lewis Priest and Peter Michael Lance, and two grandsons, Cameron Minh Priest and Timothy (TJ) Lawrence Lance II.

Mr. Dao was the tenth of twelve siblings and spent his childhood in Nam Dinh and Ha Noi. After he graduated from high school, he enlisted in the Nam Dinh Military Academy and later transferred to the Dalat Military Academy where he was appointed as a military trainer at Quang Trung Camp in Quan Tre, Thu Duc. During the Vietnam War, he served as a lieutenant colonel in the Army of the Republic of Vietname (ARVN) and attended the United States Army Infantry School in Fort Benning, Georgia. Furthermore, he was among the Delegation of the Republic of Vietnam at the Paris Peace Accord representing the ARVN.

While he was an active member of the Vietnamese community, he was extremely grateful to his adopted country for the freedom and opportunity it provided him and his family. He worked at Kodak and then Praxis, where he retired in 2000. He spent many years post-retirement living in Durham, NC before returning to New York. He was an avid fisherman and gardener and spent many hours at his favorite fishing hole and backyard garden. He enjoyed watching military shows and sports, especially soccer and tennis. He was kind, humble, gentle and always willing to give a helping hand. In addition, he had a wicked sense of humor and would always have a smile on his face. He loved spending time with his large family and particularly doted on his grandsons. We will miss him tremendously.

There will be a memorial service on May 16, 2025 at 9:30 am EST at Van Duc Tu Buddhist Temple, 3528 Gallows Road, Annadale, VA 22003. Interment will be at 12:00N EST at the National Funeral Park, 7482 Lee Hwy, Falls Church, VA 22042.