Nhat Nguyen

Nhật Minh Nguyễn (Nathan) transitioned on December 13, 2023, in San Jose, CA. He was born in Saigon, Vietnam, on November 17, 1978, and after a harrowing journey, arrived in the U.S. and was subsequently raised in the Bay Area. He was the son of Minh Nguyễn (father) and Nguyệt Nguyễn (mother). He is survived by his mother, father, brother Timmy Nguyễn, and a loving community of extended family and friends.

Educated at San Francisco State University, San Jose State University, California Institute of Integral Studies, and a lifelong student at the School of Hard-Glittered Knocks, Nathan held many jobs: talent agent, publicist, teacher, extra actor, and much more, which led him to his passion for being a psychologist.

However, his work was not the only thing that defined Nathan. He was a human who loved his family, friends, love, good cuisine, BIPOC and LGBTQ communities, volleyball, theater, and the list continued as the days were long. All this, plus his exuberance for life, and his magical ability to be present and unapologetically direct, allowed him to be deeply engaged with the people around him. Nathan never shied away from sharing, even about the hardest things, because he cared intensely about people he loved.

Food was one of many Nathan’s love affairs and was present in all his relationships. If you knew Nathan, you would never go hungry or eat poorly. He was always committed to discovering or creating, and then consuming the best foods, be it pie, pastry, pho, mac & cheese, fried chicken or anything else. With food came conversations, openness, honesty, and discourses about life. This experience was his portal to connecting with his loved ones. His profound passion was for people, using the language of a shared meal to know them sincerely and deeply.

After suffering from a stroke on November 7, 2023, Nathan never regained consciousness. His departure felt very sudden to his loved ones. As we mourn his loss, we also celebrate the laughter and joy he shared with so many of us. His genuine spirit will live on through the stories and lessons his community would not have without him.

To use a quote he loved by Jacques Pepin, “If you have extraordinary bread and extraordinary butter, it’s hard to beat bread and butter.”

We will miss Nathan, an extraordinary human who made an extraordinary impact on our lives.

In lieu of "bereavement gifts,", please consider donating cause Nathan cared about: https://www.defrankcenter.org/donations