Guong Pham Tran

Guong Pham Tran (Pham Thi Guong), loving mother and grandmother, entered eternal life Saturday, April 11, 2015 at the age of 74 years. Her passing came one day after she spent a rich evening with her family. During the last weeks of her life, her body weakened from illness and a fall in which she had bumped her head. After being released from a hospital she spent special time with her family, the focus of her love and life’s concerns. From her early youth, as she grew up in Can Tho, Vietnam, the hub of the Mekong delta, to the last phase of her life, in Calgary, she was always a giving person, rarely paying adequate attention to herself, as she focused on others. As a young child Guong studied diligently, preparing herself for a career as an educator. As a student, she valued education, eventually becoming a teacher in an elementary school. Eventually Guong met and married Tran The Ky who also valued education. Together they raised four children while also caring for their parents. It was a difficult time in Vietnam. The Vietnam War was at a high point and raising children was not easy. Ky became the director of a technical school, but was drafted into the South Vietnamese army. When the war ended in 1975 the North Vietnamese army swept into the south and the Hanoi government sought revenge against those who had been associated with the war against them. Ky knew he and his family would be singled out, that he was destined to a prison camp or worse. Guong and Ky bravely decided for the sake of their children to leave Vietnam and its turmoil to find a more peaceful life, one in which their children could be educated as they had been. They left Vietnam by boat which was a frightening experience, but offered the most hope for their family. The couple, along with their four children, settled in Calgary where they began rebuilding their lives. Though both educated, Guong and Ky were forced to begin again at the bottom of the socio-economic food chain. Ky became a taxi driver; Guong began work as a waitress at banquets at the Fairmont Palliser Hotel until she retired. In recent years she was plagued by ill health, but continued to shower her love on her children and grandchildren. She will be especially remembered for her love, generosity and courage. Guong is survived by her children, Phuong Diem Nguyen, husband, Bao Nguyen, and their children, Vivian, Kalvin, and Michelle; Phil The Tran, wife, Bui Thi Mai, and their son, Phat (Peter) Tran; Christine Mai Tran, husband, Ba Van Nguyen, and their children, Marlene (Kinh) Tran, Ana, Emily, Andy; Tam The Tran and wife, Angela Royce Janelle Tran. Her passing follows that of her husband, Tran The Ky; mother, Nguyen Thi Toan; father, Pham Ba Ho; and granddaughter, Isabelle Faith Tran. A Funeral Service will be held at will be held at FOSTER’S GARDEN CHAPEL, 3220 – 4 Street N.W., Calgary (across from Queen’s Park Cemetery) on Monday, April 20, 2015 at 10 a.m. Expressions of sympathy may be forwarded to the family via the website www.fostersgardenchapel.ca.

FOSTER'S GARDEN CHAPEL

FUNERAL HOME AND CREMATORIUM

Telephone: 403-297-0888

Honoured Provider of Dignity Memorial