Nga "Nina" de la Cruz
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On August 26, 2020, Ngoc Nga “Nina” de la Cruz passed away peacefully at the age 77 after a long illness with CNS lymphoma. She is survived by her son, San-Ching de la Cruz (Hiroko), grandchildren, Taisei and Sayari, and a large family including 3 sisters and 4 brothers. She is preceded by death of her parents and husband, Vicente de la Cruz.
Born in 1943 in Vietnam, she learned French, English and Vietnamese. She took her studies very seriously and upon high school graduation from Gia Long high school in Saigon, she was awarded a Colombo Plan scholarship to study in Quebec. She earned a Master’s degree in Geology at the University of Alberta before spending 7 years teaching English at a university in Taiwan. Upon returning to Canada, she was proud that she held down multiple jobs and even helped secure a position for her husband in academia. She was happily married for nearly 50 years.
She worked as a Professional Geologist in the Alberta Environment Department of the provincial government and eventually became the manager of the hydrogeology branch. As a manager, she was known for being fair, principled, caring and protective and so colleagues became like family.
She was passionate and serious about recycling and water conservation.
Guided by strong principles, she campaigned for protecting the environment and for political and social causes. The Edmonton Journal published a number of her letters to the editor – she wisely used a pen name given that she could be critical of the institutions that employed her. While serious when it came to government policies, she was not above merrily high-fiving the police during an Oiler Stanley Cup parade.
She was very outgoing and spirited and indeed had so many dear friends that she decided to retire in Edmonton instead of seeking more hospitable climates elsewhere. This didn’t mean that she was content to be always in Alberta; fluent in 4 languages, she enjoyed traveling extensively to both sides of the Pacific, Europe and the Middle East. As an avid reader, she enjoyed gifting books to her young relatives. She was a good listener, often acted as advisor, consultant and peace maker in family matters. A few of her favourite words were "ridiculous" and "unnecessary."
In retirement, she brought her inquisitive mind and energy to her volunteer positions: treasurer for SALT (seniors advocating for social justice issues), on the board for Edmonton Lifelong Learners and taught French. Outside of giving back to the community, she loved walking in the ravine near her house and going out for lunch with friends.
The family is grateful to the staff of the Good Samaritan Dr. Gerald Zetter Care Centre for taking good care of Nga and helping to keep the family "present" on Facebook's Portal device 24/7.
She was cremated per her wishes and due to COVID, no service is planned but look for her online memorial at www.weremember.com.
In lieu of flowers or donations, the family asks that you spend time with your loved ones, celebrate friendships and remember to be kind.