Trung Quoc Nguyen

“Anything is possible.” That is what Nguyen Quoc Trung believed about life. He possessed an inquisitive, confident, and rational nature matched with a versatile and agile mind. Trung was a person who believed that he could achieve whatever he set out to do.

Nguyen Quoc Trung, 32, was born November 8, 1979, the son of Hung and Hoa Nguyen, in Saigon, Vietnam. His family immigrated to the United States in 1984. He was raised in San Jose, California. He showed his ingenuity even as a child. When he was confronted with a problem, Trung could develop an imaginative solution, and he derived satisfaction from knowing he had that ability.

This same talent for finding solutions had a positive bearing on Trung's family relationships. Trung was raised with two siblings. He had two younger sisters, Cathy and Julie. When a difficult situation or dilemma arose within the family, Trung was always there to help figure out a solution for making things work.

Trung spent his childhood in San Jose, California and enjoyed track and field, basketball and pickup tackle football games with his friends and family. During his youth, Trung was an active member of the Vinh Son Liem Eucharistic Youth Group where he forged friendships that lasted over his entire life.

Endowed with an appetite for knowing how his world worked, Trung enjoyed school, especially when the learning experience involved dissecting and probing the unknown. Trung was adept at scrutinizing different possibilities and designing innovative solutions. He graduated at the top of his class from Andrew Hill High School in 1998 and went on to study Computer Science and Electrical Engineering at the University of California – Berkeley. He graduated in three and a half years and had an internship each summer at IBM.

After graduating in the Fall of 2001, he went on to full-time employment at IBM. During his tenure at IBM, Trung was awarded a patent. As a born inventor, Trung was definitely in his element in his work place. He could easily create new and innovative systems, and incorporate those changes to bring a fresh approach to any work situation. Trung was a focused worker with a strong drive for achievement. He could assess all of the options before him and, using his analytical skills, could comfortably find answers that no one else had even considered. His personal initiative inspired those around him. Trung was always good at getting a project started and then, at the appropriate time, handing it on to a colleague. As a testament to his strong commitment to family, Trung spent his free time helping his parents start up their new business. In 2008, Trung left IBM to work full-time for his parents’ thriving business helping special-education kids.

When he was not helping his parents run the family business, Trung enjoyed spending his free time with family and friends. Trung was socially resourceful, an expressive person who was willing to try new things. These qualities drew a lively circle of friends around him. Always interested in his friends’ activities and interests, Trung was uncritical of his acquaintances. He was sought after by people who recognized that he was generous with his time and energy, and these same friends found Trung to be very stimulating company. Trung's humor and curiosity were contagious for those around him. While growing up, some of his best friends were Six, Tam, Mary, Cuong, Quoc, Lam, Hung Thai, Killa (Hung), and Monique. Later in life, he remained friends with Six, and became friends with Phu.

Trung's remarkable talent for being inventive influenced his relationship with his daughter. He would create original, clever and fun games for his daughter and had a knack for finding ways to make everyday events, even chores, enjoyable to her. Trung was blessed with one daughter, Barbara T. Nguyen. Someone who was quick to laugh, Trung found it easy to spend lots of time with his daughter, but he was never overbearing or guilty of pushing himself on her.

His primary occupation was as an Engineer and Bus Driver. He was employed for five years with IBM and four years with Safe Trans. Trung always made an effort to be a team player, doing what needed was necessary in order to get the job done.

Trung's passion for finding a better way to do things was often an end in itself for him. In fact, that interest by itself became something of a hobby for this perpetual problem solver. Since Trung was always searching for new and unusual activities, he developed many interests and leisure pursuits. Some of the things he became an “expert” in might come as a surprise to those who knew him, but most friends and family understood that Trung simply couldn’t be limited to just a few activities or ideas. His favorite pursuits were motorcycle racing and traveling.

Trung's calm demeanor and eternally positive outlook served him well in sports. In high school, Trung participated in track and field. Trung was something of a sports fan and enjoyed following his favorite events whenever he got the opportunity. Tops on his list were Moto GP and World Super Bike.

Having the opportunity to visit and explore a new place always intrigued Trung. Traveling and going away on vacations offered yet another opportunity for Trung to expand his ever-growing inventory of knowledge. Favorite vacations included trips to Houston, Texas.

Trung passed away on April 14, 2012 in San Jose, California. Trung is survived by his daughter Barbara Nguyen, his parents Hung and Hoa Nguyen, and his sisters Cathy and Julie. He is also survived by his paternal grandparents, Hy Van Nguyen and Chinh Thi Nguyen, several aunts, uncles, cousins and his Entourage. Services were held at St. Maria Goretti Church in San Jose, California. Trung was laid to rest in Oak Hill Memorial Park in San Jose, California.

During his lifetime, nothing appeared impossible to Trung. He met the words “it can’t be done” with the enthusiastic challenge of a “wanna bet” attitude. Trung was able to recognize the possibilities a new idea held, even when those around him could not. For Trung, the traditional way of doing things fell short of his expectations, especially if there were original and untested methods for handling a challenge. For Trung Quoc Nguyen, the fun of living his life could be found in the challenge.