Lynh Kim Tran

Lynh Kim Tran was born on March 1, 2002, in Fountain Valley, CA, to her loving parents, Dai Tran and Loan Nguyen. Lynh had a younger sister, Thu Tran, whom she loved to play and experience life with. She grew up in Orange County, where she met her lifelong friends and developed a deep love for exploring the world around her. As she was driving to Yosemite to see the Horsetail Firefall, she passed away at the age of 22 in a car accident on February 21, 2025, alongside her cousin Reian Zhang.

Lynh was the sun that shined brightly, filling her parents and sister’s hearts with so much warmth and love. She had the most infectious laugh and a fun-loving personality. Constantly running and jumping around the house laughing, singing, and messing around with her family. She was so full of care, love, thoughtfulness, desire, hope, and resilience. She was extremely hardworking and determined, embodying the motto, “Work hard, Play hard.” And best of all, she truly lived life to the fullest, enjoying every moment. Lynh lived by the acronym “YOLO”, You Only Live Once. In every decision she made, and every activity she’s done, she would always say “YOLO!” and let her heart guide her every step. All these qualities made Lynh the amazing person she is.

Lynh’s love for exploring took her all around the world. She has traveled across Europe, Asia, Canada, and the United States, visiting Vietnam, Thailand, Taiwan, France, Italy, Switzerland, and several US States and State Parks. She had a dream to go everywhere in the world and learn about different cultures, experience different cuisines, as well as collect souvenir pins, magnets, and coins for her penny passport. She had a love for hiking, always embarking on adventurous trails with her friends, family, and her beloved dog Mocha. Lynh loved being surrounded by nature, and always dreamt of living in a house with a great yard, where she could have a horse as a pet. So much so, she would drive around to different neighborhoods that had horse stables and horse trails mentioning that she would live in a house like this one day.

Aside from exploring, Lynh loved to pick up new hobbies and activities. She and her cousin Reian would go bowling every week, inviting their friends, learning new techniques, and competing with one another for fun. She also just began learning and playing pickleball with her family and friends. Lynh loved collecting blind boxes, specifically the Dimoo series from Pop-Mart, and the Miffy series from Miniso. When in Asia, she went around to different stands, collecting as many blind boxes as her heart desired. Her love for blind boxes inspired others to begin collecting as well. She loved playing video games with her friends and family, playing Pokemon Pocket TCG, Valorant, Roblox, Monopoly Go, Age of Empires, and more. She recently redeveloped her interest in reading books, touching on the Percy Jackson series, Harry Potter series, and her favorite book, The Outsiders.

Lynh was also gifted in the arts. She began playing piano at the age of 5 and began playing the Chinese zither at the age of 9. With her zither group, Lynh performed at different celebratory events and on TV programs until she was 15 years old. She was also passionate about learning and playing the ukulele. Whenever she had a new favorite song, she would learn the chords to strum and sing along. Besides music, Lynh enjoyed drawing, painting, decorating her planner, and improving her handwriting. In her free time, she would often draw and paint with her friends. And when holidays came around, Lynh would make cards and custom gifts for her family members, which everyone would love and cherish.

Lynh is a proud graduate of the University of California, Irvine, earning a Bachelor of Arts in Criminology, Law & Society. During her time at UCI, she worked on the Prison Pandemic Project for UCI’s School of Social Sciences. Ultimately, Lynh’s dream was to work for the FBI. In preparing for her career, she attended and graduated from the UCI Police Department Citizens Academy and the OC Sheriff's Citizens Academy. She was passionate about the criminal justice system, working with system-impacted youth and finding prevention strategies to guide them away from a life of crime. She aspired to help make the criminal justice system more just and equal for all. She worked as an Office Coordinator for the Hub for Integration, Reentry, and Employment (H.I.R.E.) where she helped formerly incarcerated youth and adults reassimilate into society. Aside from her work with H.I.R.E. and FBI Dream, Lynh expressed a great interest in researching the legalities and different criminal policies in place and the impact it has on the community. Determined to make a lasting impact, she wanted to pursue a Master’s Degree to further her knowledge and expertise so she could put it forth when joining the FBI.

Lynh’s memory will continue to inspire us as we continue with our lives. As Lynh would say, “If I were to die tomorrow, I would have no regrets.” Lynh lived her life, doing everything she wanted, whenever she wanted, leaving this world with no regrets because “You Only Live Once”. Her adventurous spirit, kindness, and boundless energy will always be cherished. She was truly one of a kind, leaving an unforgettable mark on everyone who knew and loved her.

Lynh is survived by her loving parents, Dai Tran and Loan Nguyen, and her sister Thu Tran. Lynh was the cherished granddaughter of An Tran and May Tran. She also leaves behind aunts and uncles who adored her dearly. Among them are Nga and Ray Zhang, Tuong and Kelli Nguyen, Hai and Tat Nguyen, Thuy and Scott Ameling, Xuan Nguyen, Duc and Le Tran, Do and Da Tran, Anh and Truong Nguyen. Her cousins Connor Tran, Mason, Jamie, Anthony, Dylan, Tiffanie, Bao, Viet, Candace, Keene, Clayton, Kaleb, Averie, Reichel, Lucas, Connor Ameiling, and Anya will deeply miss her joyful spirit. She was predeceased by both her grandfathers, Dat Tran and Dieu Nguyen, as well as her aunt An Diep Tran.

A Prayer Vigil/Rosary will be held on March 7, 2025, from 10:00 am to 10:30 am. Visitation will follow on the same day, March 7, 2025, from 10:30 am to 8:00 pm at Peek Funeral Home, CHAPEL 3, 7801 Bolsa Ave, Westminster, CA 92683.

Prayers/Viewing will take place on March 8, 2025, from 10:00 am to 1:30 pm at Saint Columban Catholic Church, 10801 Stanford Ave, Garden Grove, CA 92840, followed by Funeral Mass from 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm at Saint Columban Catholic Church.

Burial will be on March 8, 2025, after the Funeral Mass at 3:30 pm at Westminster Memorial Park and Mortuary, 14801 Beach Blvd, Westminster, CA 92683.