Xi D Ly's Obituary
XI DINH LY OBITUARY
Xi Dinh Ly, a dedicated husband, father, and grandfather, passed away in his sleep on
Saturday, November 18, 2023, in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, after battling cancer for the
last four years.
Xi was born to Tri Ly and Anh Tu in South Vietnam on June 25, 1946. In Vietnam, Xi
graduated from Lycée Franco-Chinoise, a French and Chinese private school, in Saigon.
In 1966, he married the love of his life, Phien Luu, and soon welcomed their first child,
Ky. The family grew to five with the births of Nhu and Y. Early in his career, Xi attended
law school at Saigon University. While studying law, he worked for an import/export firm
and Seiko Watch Company as an accountant. After being drafted into the South Vietnam
military, he became manager of the supply section of the Department of Administration
of the South Vietnamese Government in Saigon until April 1975 when the South
Vietnamese capital of Saigon fell to the North Vietnamese Army.
In 1979, Xi and his family left Vietnam, and by February 1980, they settled in Stillwater,
Oklahoma. In 1984, he graduated from Oklahoma State University with a Bachelor of
Science in Business Administration with an emphasis in accounting and passed the CPA
exam a few years later. He started his career in America working at Amoco Corporation,
which later merged with The British Petroleum Company (BP). In 2009, he retired from
BP tax department. During retirement, Xi enjoyed traveling the world with his beautiful
wife. To stay young and in shape, Xi practiced Tai Chi and exercised with his wife at the
Body by Gerry senior aerobics class in Broken Arrow. Xi was also a member of Trinity
Episcopal Church.
Xi loved mastering new things. His inquisitive nature led him to become fluent in four
different languages. He also loved to learn different types of dancing. His favorite dance
was the waltz, followed closely by the electric slide. Despite his quiet demeanor, he was
bold and confident when performing a dance or a song. He played various instruments for
his grandchildren and greatly enjoyed watching them excel in music and sports like
basketball, karate, and piano.
He is survived by his wife, Phien; their children, Ky and Y; daughter-in-law, Tonya; son-in-
law, Jason; three grandchildren, Tannen, Kyla, and Claire; his brothers, Xuong and
Due; and his sisters, Ngoc and Yen. Xi was preceded in death by his parents, Tri and Anh;
his brother, Duc; his sister, Helen; and his daughter Nhu.
Funeral service is scheduled for 9 a.m. on December 16, 2023, at Floral Haven in Broken
Arrow. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to St. Jude Children’s
Research Hospital.
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