Don Thi Tran

If there was ever a person who wanted to heal all the wrongs in the world, it was Tran Thi Don. She was an idealist who sought to bring harmony to those around her. Even though Don was enthusiastic and generous, it was sometimes difficult for her to boast about her accomplishments. Don had strong personal convictions, making it hard for her to relinquish those ideals she held dearest to herself. Despite her outer strengths and beliefs, Don sometimes struggled in her efforts to see the world as completely positive. Don's life motto was always to hope for the best and work hard towards that end, but be prepared for some of life's disappointments. This philosophy was a continual driving force in her life, but it did not extinguish the bright light that defined the dreamer in Don, something that was always there and that she readily shared with everyone around her. All her life that she was a very "humble & modest person." She definitely devoted her life to God and raised her adopted son, Mr. Brandon Vu Huynh.

Don was born on December 31, 1924 at home in Tra Doai, Xuan Truong, Nam Dinh, Vietnam. Her parents were Tran Hanh Gia and Tran Thi Be. Don was raised in Bac Tinh, Nam Dinh, Saigon, Vietnam, and San Jose, California. As a youngster, Don demonstrated an excellent vocabulary and command of language. She was a compassionate person, a quality that she would carry with her throughout her life. Even at a young age, Don was sensitive to her parents’ moods and worked hard to please them and live up to their expectations.

Throughout her life, Don showed a remarkable ability to mend relationships. This was true even with her siblings. Don was caring, diplomatic and tolerant of the feelings of those around her. Don was raised with seven siblings. She had two sisters, Ba Long and Ba Mau, and five brothers, Mr. Tran Bang Phan, Tran Huu Tuoc, Tran Huu Toan, Tran Ngoc Dau, and Tran Mai Khoi. Don was constantly involved in activities with her brothers and sisters. Don and her siblings had the typical rivalries while growing up, but they cared deeply for one another.

As a young girl, Don lived a childhood filled with fantasy. She was generally in pursuit of her own identity, but she was also adaptable to almost any situation she faced. Don took part in rope jumping activities with kids in the neighborhood and was involved with the Catholic Youth. In her spare time she liked sewing, gardening, and helping her mother with chores. However, to Don, the most fun to be had was simply playing, and spending time with her many friends.

High school was a time for Don to seek out knowledge. Since her high school teacher passed away unexpectedly, Ms. Don Thi Tran had to study at home. She enjoyed learning and had a natural interest in gathering information. Don had a flair for the poetic and was very expressive and articulate, especially when it came to her writing. Don took her education seriously.

While those who did not know her well found Don to be somewhat reserved until they got to know her, she was an authentic and devoted friend. Don was a tranquil person, with an easygoing and open-minded attitude towards life. She presented a pleasant face to the outside world but concealed the pain and discomfort she felt over her own friends’ difficulties. Don sought to achieve harmony with everyone and possessed the ability to mend conflicts and avoid interpersonal struggles. While growing up, she was friends with most of the women who were in the Hoi Doan Nghia Binh Cong Giao (Catholic Youth). Later in life, she became friends with Ms. Tran Thi Day (Co Day) and Ms. Do Thi Hoi (Miss Hoi) who were from the same neighborhood in Tra Lu Doai, North Vietnam. She was also friends with Mrs. Mai and Mrs. Le (mother of a Vietnamese priest) in San Jose, California.

The desire for romance was always present in Don's life. She succeeded in finding it on December 9, 1937 when Don exchanged wedding vows with Tran Van Phieu at the Catholic Church of Bac Tinh, Tra Lu Doai Village, Phu Xuan Truong Province, Nam Dinh, North Vietnam. Don cared passionately for Phieu. Her deep loyalty and a strong commitment to her vows brought a sense of completeness to their marriage.

Don was a gentle person who held deep feelings for her adopted son. She enjoyed having fun with her son and was at times fiercely protective of him. Don showed great empathy in her willingness to give every family member a voice in family decisions. Even though she has no kids, she was blessed with an adopted son named, Brandon Vu Huynh. Even though she didn't have any grandchildren of her own, she was blessed enough to have many kids in the Tran Family consider her as their grandmother, great grandmother, and great-great grandmother.

Blessed with a strong sense of integrity, Don was as loyal and committed in her work as she was in the rest of her life. Though she had a tendency to take on too many tasks, herself; Don showed great patience with complicated situations. She was ingenious and trusted her intuition. For Don, the application of logic could be optional, and while that sometimes bothered her co-workers, Don always seemed to be able to get the job done. She was most comfortable working on the projects and jobs that she strongly supported. Her primary occupation was as a housewife. She mostly stayed home to help her family out with chores, work, and organizing things around the household.

Don enjoyed her leisure time by taking part in various hobbies. Her favorite pursuits were gardening and planting beautiful flowers. Don was content to enjoy her hobbies alone but she was also willing to share her interests with others.

Don took all of her personal and moral obligations seriously. Don was a strong defender of her faith. She was a member of the Catholic Church in Bac Tinh, North Vietnam. She was also a member of the Thi Nghe Catholic Church from 1954 to 1992 in Saigon, Vietnam. Don was also involved with St. Maria Goretti Catholic Church in San Jose, California from 1993 to 2010. During that time, her stewardship included participation in various church communities (Hoi Nghia Binh, Hoi Khan Vinh Son, Catholic Daughters, Hoi Dong Ba, Da Minh, Hoi Khan St. Vincente, Hoi Khan Mary of Mt. Camelo, Hoi Truong Lao, and Hoi Cao Nien Senior Group).

Don enjoyed traveling and going away on vacations. Taking trips provided the chance for her to kick back and relax, to visit new places and see new things. Her vacations included Santa Ana, Westminster, San Francisco, and Lawndale, California.

Don was a lover of animals and cherished her pets. Two of Don's favorites were her two dogs, a white Pomeranian, and a black and white mixed dog. Her family was rounded out by her cat and two Finches birds.

Though Don always appeared to be dreaming of greener pastures, she was accepting of retirement when it finally came. Long-range planning skills served her well in preparing for the “golden years.” Her new life involved relocating to Saigon, Vietnam and San Jose, California. In retirement, she found new pleasure in planting flowers, gardening, cooking Vietnamese noodle soup, Bun Rieu, participating in various Catholic communities, and being devoted to God by attending church twice a day. Even in retirement, Don continued to stay in touch with her old friends while making plenty of new acquaintances. She was active in the community and felt fulfilled with the opportunities that retirement offered her.

Don passed away peacefully on September 4, 2010 at her home in San Jose, California. She fought a brave battle until her last breath against Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma. She is survived by her adopted son Brandon Vu Huynh and so many nephews, nieces, grandchildren, great grandchildren, and great-great grandchildren. Services were held at St. Maria Goretti Catholic Church in San Jose, California. Don was laid to rest in Oak Hill Memorial Park in San Jose, California.

Tran Thi Don was someone who was able to see the world as a good and honorable place. She viewed the people who inhabited it as essentially good. A person who tended to see the world in terms of black and white, Don tried to focus on the good she saw, knowing that there were times she would have to compromise. She was selfless and deeply committed to all things positive and good. Don was a person who would keep her eye on tomorrow and constantly held onto her dreams. She was capable of being mystical at times, and she could be the seer or shaman of a group. It was this exceptional insight and quiet reserve that that became Don's trademark qualities for all who knew her, and it was one of the many reasons why all who knew her loved Tran Thi Don.

Arrangements under the direction of Oak Hill Funeral Home & Memorial Park, San Jose, CA.