Hello Andrea...and all others who took the time to research and track my mother, Thu.
I'm John Covey, I am Thu's son.
It has been a long time since 2014, I want send a long overdue thank you for all the work everyone did back then. I appreciate it very much.
When I first found the blog post in early December 2022, it was as if time stood still while I was reading the story. Several pieces of information from the blog were consistent with my knowledge. At that moment, I had to stop to make sure what I was experiencing and reading was real. I have read the comments from that 2014 blog post many times. I clearly see everyone's selfless effort to find leads and facts. I am the type of person who simply appreciates the humanity of the whole story.
With the bits of info I know about Thu, I have connected some dots of her story. When Thu was young, she was the eldest of her siblings. Being a young girl (I estimate 14-17yrs old) in a war torn country with minimal resources, her role in the family was immense. She had to provide food and other necessities for the family. I know she carried out that duty to her family with 100% conviction and without any regard to the changing circumstances within the country. I know this to be true because my Aunt (from the Covey side of the family) knew Thu well and she mentioned how Thu always made sure the people important to her were cared for. Unfortunately, my aunt passed away last year. My Aunt shared everything she could remember about Thu. Thu was resourceful, because she had to be. Many Vietnamese families had to destroy any evidence/documents pertaining to their lives in order to facilitate a way out of Vietnam and to avoid the North Vietnamese invasion. This is why her trail is hard to find. As a young developing youth, the war inflicted permanent scars which affected her life's trajectory. The last known whereabouts which I know about is at a care facility in Alpine, California around 1997/1998. I know this because she mailed a letter to my family home in the Midwest (which I lost during a trip to Vietnam). I spoke to a social worker who was caring for her. After several calls to the facility, I was ultimately not permitted to talk to her due to her mental condition at the time. My Aunt lost contact with Thu many years ago. If I could take a step back in time, I would have forced my young self to demand an opportunity to speak or visit Thu, but I was young and not very smart.
My recent trip to Phu Quoc put me in direct contact with Thu's brother, Minh. The stories he shared were consistent with what I knew about her. I showed him photos of Thu which I've had all my life, he confirmed they are her. I just wish I had 100% closure on her current whereabouts, but my efforts go down a cold trail.
I have become a follower of Andrea. I see she has many long time followers who will recognize this story and it's likely some of you are the people who worked on finding Thu back in 2014. I am writing this message to thank all of you and also to provide some information back to you. I believe the work you did deserves as much fulfillment as I can provide. I will never forget the work all of you did to try finding her.
Aloha John! Thank you so much for this detailed and heartfelt contribution. What a remarkable story and journey you and your family have been on.
Life delivers us many splendors. I’m thrilled that the community at Viet World Kitchen and now Pass the Fish Sauce play a role in your family’s history.
I put your mother's name in whitepages.com with the search city of Alpine CA. I saw great results for a woman named Thu Thi Vo in her 70's in San Diego, CA with a landline of (619) 283-9168. It listed her current address as 4454 52nd St
San Diego, CA 92115. Hope this helps! They had cell numbers for her too, but you have to pay extra. There were also other relatives listed. Steven D Vo in his 50's and other possiblities in California.
Hi Gloria -- Thank you for researching and providing this extra information. There is a lot of public information out there. Woah. It's always such a surprise.
All 3 had excellent results available for your mom in California as well as phone & cell numbers and current addresses. Check them out. I put in Thu Ti Vo in Alpine, CA and found her address & number
Enjoyed your blog and appreciate the recommendation on where to buy Vietnamese herb plants, reading about your father and how to pronounce Old Daddy, and the missing person saga.
I like it a lot. No scuffs and the zipper is just like new. It’s vegan and reminds me of a Bottega V bag but made with pleather. I don’t see the forest green that I have but Melie changes colors for seasons.
In response to the "Aloha from Phu Quoc" post:
Hello Andrea...and all others who took the time to research and track my mother, Thu.
I'm John Covey, I am Thu's son.
It has been a long time since 2014, I want send a long overdue thank you for all the work everyone did back then. I appreciate it very much.
When I first found the blog post in early December 2022, it was as if time stood still while I was reading the story. Several pieces of information from the blog were consistent with my knowledge. At that moment, I had to stop to make sure what I was experiencing and reading was real. I have read the comments from that 2014 blog post many times. I clearly see everyone's selfless effort to find leads and facts. I am the type of person who simply appreciates the humanity of the whole story.
With the bits of info I know about Thu, I have connected some dots of her story. When Thu was young, she was the eldest of her siblings. Being a young girl (I estimate 14-17yrs old) in a war torn country with minimal resources, her role in the family was immense. She had to provide food and other necessities for the family. I know she carried out that duty to her family with 100% conviction and without any regard to the changing circumstances within the country. I know this to be true because my Aunt (from the Covey side of the family) knew Thu well and she mentioned how Thu always made sure the people important to her were cared for. Unfortunately, my aunt passed away last year. My Aunt shared everything she could remember about Thu. Thu was resourceful, because she had to be. Many Vietnamese families had to destroy any evidence/documents pertaining to their lives in order to facilitate a way out of Vietnam and to avoid the North Vietnamese invasion. This is why her trail is hard to find. As a young developing youth, the war inflicted permanent scars which affected her life's trajectory. The last known whereabouts which I know about is at a care facility in Alpine, California around 1997/1998. I know this because she mailed a letter to my family home in the Midwest (which I lost during a trip to Vietnam). I spoke to a social worker who was caring for her. After several calls to the facility, I was ultimately not permitted to talk to her due to her mental condition at the time. My Aunt lost contact with Thu many years ago. If I could take a step back in time, I would have forced my young self to demand an opportunity to speak or visit Thu, but I was young and not very smart.
My recent trip to Phu Quoc put me in direct contact with Thu's brother, Minh. The stories he shared were consistent with what I knew about her. I showed him photos of Thu which I've had all my life, he confirmed they are her. I just wish I had 100% closure on her current whereabouts, but my efforts go down a cold trail.
I have become a follower of Andrea. I see she has many long time followers who will recognize this story and it's likely some of you are the people who worked on finding Thu back in 2014. I am writing this message to thank all of you and also to provide some information back to you. I believe the work you did deserves as much fulfillment as I can provide. I will never forget the work all of you did to try finding her.
Aloha John! Thank you so much for this detailed and heartfelt contribution. What a remarkable story and journey you and your family have been on.
Life delivers us many splendors. I’m thrilled that the community at Viet World Kitchen and now Pass the Fish Sauce play a role in your family’s history.
Hi John
I put your mother's name in whitepages.com with the search city of Alpine CA. I saw great results for a woman named Thu Thi Vo in her 70's in San Diego, CA with a landline of (619) 283-9168. It listed her current address as 4454 52nd St
San Diego, CA 92115. Hope this helps! They had cell numbers for her too, but you have to pay extra. There were also other relatives listed. Steven D Vo in his 50's and other possiblities in California.
Good Luck on your search!
Hi Gloria -- Thank you for researching and providing this extra information. There is a lot of public information out there. Woah. It's always such a surprise.
Sources for finding your mom:
Whitepages.com
Spokeo.com
Beenverified.com
All 3 had excellent results available for your mom in California as well as phone & cell numbers and current addresses. Check them out. I put in Thu Ti Vo in Alpine, CA and found her address & number
4454 52nd St
San Diego, CA 92115
(619) 283-9168
Enjoyed your blog and appreciate the recommendation on where to buy Vietnamese herb plants, reading about your father and how to pronounce Old Daddy, and the missing person saga.
Thanks so much for subscribing and reading, Monica!
Big crop of Thai basil in our garden this year even with a very hungry bunny.
H Mart in our Boston area sells various Asian herbs that have performed well for us.
What do plan to do with all the Thai basil?
And H Mart sell herb plants???? I had no idea!
How is your Corx handbag holding up 😘❓❓
It’s this bag here by Melie https://www.meliebianco.com/products/brigitte-caramel-large-shoulder-bag?variant=44291398041852
I like it a lot. No scuffs and the zipper is just like new. It’s vegan and reminds me of a Bottega V bag but made with pleather. I don’t see the forest green that I have but Melie changes colors for seasons.
Is that what you were thinking of? LMK...