Obituary of Binh Thanh Rybacki

It’s with incredible sadness that we announce the passing of Binh Thanh Rybacki. Binh was 67 years old and a resident of Loveland, Colorado. She passed away peacefully on the morning of December 31st, 2023 in her home. 

Binh was born on August 6th, 1956, in Saigon, Vietnam to Nguyen Quang Xy (father) and Nguyen Thi Thoa (mother). Binh grew up in Saigon with her sister, Nguyet Gross and brother, Vinh Quang Nguyen. Her family escaped Vietnam in 1975, eventually settling in Denver, Colorado and meeting her extremely handsome husband, Jack Rybacki. Binh and Jack were married August 12, 1978, and eventually raised 3 handsome, talented, and incredibly intelligent boys, Preston (42), Garrett (deceased), and Spencer (34). She is the mother-in-law of Shannon Rybacki and future mother-in-law of Darbi Masters. Her absolute pride and joy were her two grandchildren Erin (7) and Miles (3), her grandniece Thia, and her grandnephew Sam. 

Binh had a long and successful career at Hewlett-Packard/Agilent, but she will be best remembered as the founder and CEO of Children of Peace International (COPI). Binh considered serving others to be a privilege. For the past 30 years she devoted her life to serving the underprivileged children of Vietnam and did so with grace, passion, and love.

From an early age, Binh always had a gift for bossing others around, which some might call leadership. Despite her short physical stature, it was not uncommon to see much taller, more imposing men following her around and doing her bidding, most of the time her two very strong sons. Binh also had a wonderful sense of humor, always quick with a joke and finding ways to make others laugh. A trait which, for better or worse, was handed down to her hilarious sons and grandchildren. She was an avid craftswoman, dabbling in quilting, crocheting, knitting, jewelry making, and card making. One of her greatest gifts was being able to knit and fall asleep just about anywhere: in a car, on a plane, little league games. But above all, Binh will be remembered for her generous, kind, and loving heart. She truly loved to help and serve others in times of need and in times of not-need, she just loved doing it. Her forgiveness was also off the charts, and we believe that she forgives her two, did we mention very handsome, boys for being kind of pain in the you-know-whats in those early formative years. 

Binh is survived by her husband Jack, her eldest son Preston, his wife Shannon and their two children Erin and Miles. Her youngest son Spencer and his fiance Darbi Masters. Her niece Chinh Ostrander, her husband Jeremy Ostrander and their two children Thia and Sam. Her brother Vinh Quang Nguyen. Her sister Nguyet Gross, her husband Fred Gross, and their children and grandchildren. 

A celebration of Binh’s life will take place Saturday, January 13th at 1pm at King of Glory Lutheran Church (Hunters Run, 2919 Wilson Ave, Loveland, CO 80538). The service will be followed by a reception at the church.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Children of Peace International, P.O. Box 2911, Loveland, CO 80539.