De was born on August 2, 1953, in Saigon, Vietnam and lovingly adopted by Nhi Tran and Quoc Sum Trieu. Together, they ran a food cart that sold zong, a sticky rice dumpling wrapped in bamboo leaves. This would be a food he proudly made for his family and friends once a year in the United States to celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival.
He emigrated from Vietnam and lived for several months in Malaysia as a refugee after the fall of Saigon during the Vietnam War. He was then sponsored and immigrated to the United States of America, initially living in Sacramento, California. In search of work, he moved to Salt Lake City, Utah, and became an assembly worker at the Safelite AutoGlass production company. He biked 16 miles roundtrip to work and was in need of a car. This search also led him to Muoi, his wife of almost 38 years, when she sold him her car in Centerville, Utah.
At Safelite, a maintenance mechanic noticed De’s work ethic and took him on as an apprentice. De was then able to become a maintenance mechanic at that company and also enjoyed this work at Mondi, a packaging company, for over 25 years. His work family was truly another family for De.
De loved the outdoors, wondering at the beauty of nature, and traveling. He took his family including his two children, Anmy and Henry, to numerous national parks and cities. He also enjoyed fishing, cars, and running. He wasn’t a runner at first, but after realizing that he needed to make some lifestyle changes to help avoid health issues, he became one in his 40s and ran for several miles each day. He loved spending time with his children and grandchildren, and he devoted much of his time and energy as a caregiver to his wife.
De is survived by his wife, Muoi; daughter, Anmy Tran Mayfield (Thomas); and son, Henry Tran (Uyen). He is also survived by his grandchildren, William De, Matthew, and Jonathan Mayfield; and Arthur and Eleanor Tran. He is survived by 4 brothers, 華民,達民, 強民, and 哲民; and 3 sisters, 月英, 寶英, and 嫦英.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Nhi Tran and Quoc Sum Trieu; biological parents 林秀娥 and 尤文瀾; brother, 嘉佑; and sisters, 惠英 and 月琴.
His family would like to extend their heartfelt gratitude to his oncology team at the Huntsman Cancer Hospital over the last year especially Dr. G. Weldon Gilcrease, III; nurse practitioners, Anne Marceau and Paula Hobson; and nurse, Stephanie Cutler.
A memorial service to celebrate De’s life will be held on Sunday, July 14, 2019 at the Valley View Funeral Home and Memorial Park in West Valley City, Utah.
A lunch reception and viewing for friends and family will be held from 11am to 1pm with a service to follow from 1pm to 2:30pm at the funeral home. The committal and interment will take place from 2:30pm to 3:15pm at the memorial park.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made In Memory of De Tran to the Huntsman Cancer Foundation.
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