Chi Tan  辛大芝

Chi Tan 辛大芝

December 31, 1928 – April 5, 2023

農曆年四月十八日一九二八年 –

農暦年二月十五日二零二三年

Our father, grandfather, Chi Tan,  migrated from China to Vietnam in 1937 due to the beginning of WWII when he was only 9 years old. Because of the war and his family’s poverty, he didn’t get to have formal education. He self-taught himself skills, Chinese philosophy and how to be a good person. Since he didn’t go to school, during his teenage years, he was a street vendor that sold sweet desserts to support his extended family for over a decade. He did not have time to find a wife until some relatives introduced our mom to him and without spending much time dating they got married when he was almost 30 years old and had 8 children.

During the 60-70s, he finally earned enough money to buy a few trucks and started a transportation business for a few years before the North Vietnamese government confiscated all his trucks after the invasion. We were unfortunately forced to go back to make a living by selling food on the street. Although his entire life had been very difficult and poor, he never complained and never stopped helping other in need. One of our old neighbors said she would never forget how he helped her mom to pay debt during the war. We know he had willingly helped others while living a simple life of his own.

Fortunately, his oldest son was able to escape Vietnam in 1979 and second son escaped in 1981. After waiting for over 10 years for the immigration petition, we were finally able to reunite in 1990. We arrived to the US when dad was 62 and his life began to change. He lived happily with our mom by doing things together such as traveling, meeting his dream when flying back to his birthplace and homeland of Teochew with his children and grandchildren. Helping mom to take care of grandkids is another joyful moment and playing at the casino after the kids are grown up. We are forever grateful to mom’s companionship and tireless support of dad over the last decade as he aged.

We are grateful and blessed to have a lovely dad and grandpa like him. His unselfishness, kindheartedness and sacrifice for others make us proud to be his children and grandchildren. He will be forever missed, but his legacy will continue.