When I was 12, I remember getting cocky because I almost beat Uncle Derek at arm wrestling. That was the moment I realized men were way weaker than I thought. 

I tried to arm wrestle Uncle Lai next, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t even get his arm to move a centimeter. He said something like “haha, I’m not even trying,” and I believed him. That was the moment I realized men were way stronger than I thought.

Back when he lived with us, he’d watch the most annoying TV shows. Stuff like K-Drama, J-Drama, and The Wheel of Time. The King’s Affection. Good Morning Call. Burn the House Down. It was kind of funny since they weren’t shows you’d expect him to choose, but at the same time you would since he just had this habit of picking bad shows. I’d ask him why he was watching them, and I don’t remember him giving me an answer. Other than, “There’s nothing good to watch.”

There aren't enough words for me to describe who he was to a stranger, but he had this presence that was like the sun on your back after stepping out of a freezing classroom. Now that he's gone, it always feels like night.

When I was like 5, I was visiting his old house in Anaheim and part of the wooden handrail on the stairs had been peeling off. I was very fascinated by it and kept touching it the whole time I was there. Eventually, I pointed to it and asked him, "What happened here?"

In a mock-dramatic tone he replied, "You broke it." I think I remember saying, "It was like that before I came." And he was like, "No? You broke my stairs."

Uncle Lai did these things so often that a cousin and I came to the agreement that, "His name is Uncle Lai because he lies a lot!" It's very fitting that he was born on April Fools' Day.

Uncle Lai once made a Roblox account to play with us. His username was "Yella_fellaa." We played an obstacle course. He saw the leaderboard and said, "Hey, how did Total Players get so many points?" He seemed to realize it wasn't somebody's username as he said it and started laughing right afterward. It was everyone's points in the server added together.

When I was nine, he once tried to make my cousins and I laugh by singing For The First Time in Forever. I tried to record it on my iPad but later realized I forgot to press record. He also kept trying to throw popcorn in the air and catch it in his mouth. I got in trouble with my mom later because there was popcorn all over the floor and I could not prove it was Uncle Lai. 

Today I saw him for the last time in forever. It still isn't real to me. He was the person you'd look for among a crowd of unknown relatives and immediately feel at ease just because he's there. I was really lucky to have him as my uncle. 

He would've wanted us to keep his legacy alive and count the amount of attractive women who cried at his funeral.

Our deepest condolences to the Huynh Family. Joe was a very friendly and cheerful neighbor who we often waived to as we strolled the neighborhood. He always had a calm presence about him, and a welcoming smile, as he sat on his front patio each time we passed by. Joe, we are very sorry to hear about your passing but we hope that you are now at peace and watching over your family and friends who miss you dearly. We will miss you, Joe!

I’ll always remember Joe for how much he loved his nieces and nephew…always present at the family events and birthday parties.  He was kind and welcoming to our family and we are grateful to have known him.   You will be missed, Joe.  You have found peace, and will live on in the hearts and memories of your friends and family.

Uncle Joe, we had multiple memorable 🥎 seasons together. From the 1st Irvine league season, we lost every single game and almost brawled it out with that douchebag team. 
We then hopped over to the Tustin league where we gradually improved through the years and won some memorable games together. The bottom line, these are memories I will never forget and always cherish. You were Big Papi, not necessarily fast, but always clutch! You will be heavily missed…rest in peace, brotha. 🪽

I was about 13 years old, started tagging along with my older brother Billy and his friends and that’s how I met Lai.  I remember he pulled up to my mom’s house in his Acura Legend and I thought he was the coolest person.  He had so much Aura.  He had a ton of hot wheels and even had a pair of Nun chucks.  I turn 24 and I decided to move down to So cal to live with Lai, I was his tenant for 13 years! Built the best memories together that I’ll cherish forever. Even though I moved out 2 years ago, I’m glad I got to go on that cruise last summer with you and got to live and share a room with you one last time. You are my best friend, you were suppose to be my best man, you were suppose to be at my baby shower. This is gonna be hard. Watch over Harley, Uncle Lai. Love you bro.

I love you Lai…I’m having a very hard time t accepting that you are gone. I refuse to accept it!! I refuse to see you in a coffin, I refuse to see you going six feet deep. I don’t want to experience that deep cut in my heart. I want to remember you when I last saw you…laughing and above ground. It’s supposed to be opposite…you are supposed to bury me. This is an ending that I refuse to witness and experience. There for, I will not see you in your coffin, and I refuse to see them lower you six feet deep. You will always be alive in my heart…but very busy with work and life, that’s why we don’t see or hear from each other. I’ll see you later or talk to you later…in the Father’s timeline. I will always smile,, for your innocence is with me, to my growing days.

A great person and friend... the world will miss you, Joe.

Rest in peace Lai. You were special, always smiling, always respectful, and a true Ray-duh (LV Raiders). My condolences to the Huynh family and all who knew and loved Lai.

The value of a loved one’s presence is realized by the heaviness in our hearts in their absence.  It’s only when we find ourselves on our knees, digging our fingers into the heels of time to slow it down that we truly understand we never had much of it, forever is so final and life is so short.

A thousand words to describe who he was can never capture the essence of who he is.  He always gave his attention to those who needed it, he was the uncle who always showed up with the best gifts, the brother who was always there for us, the son who put his parents first, and the friend who never gave up on you.

Lai was as tough as they come. And loved with all he had. We first met when Nhon and my brother Viet took us to Great America. We were not fast friends. But over the next 27-28 years, we became brothers. Over the past 10 years, when Lai would visit Stockton for an event, he would stay at my parents and more recently at our home. My favorite part of those weekends was the Friday nights he'd arrive, where the two of us would stay up and catch up and reminisce and plot the future. Over the past couple of years, these weekends included Lai spending time, loving on and bonding with our daughter Ngoc Vi. They adored each other. You're missed hard, brother. Love you.

He loved the kids and he was the BEST FUNCLE!

I was lucky enough to have gone through the Sheriffs academy with Jo. He was always there to make a situation better and I always knew I could count on him . I will miss his laugh and positive energy , he was an amazing person and I’m sorry for your loss.

Exactly 720 days before Lai's passing , God put his name on my heart and we became unlikely friends since then...  

This was one of his favorite verses...

I will miss you my brother and we will meet again one day ...

I am so sorry for your family's loss.  I did not know Joe for very long, but for the short time I had the privilege of knowing him, he was an individual who was full of life.  He was such a caring person who  always watched out for those he cared for.  Though he is no longer here with us, I know he will always watching over us from heaven with his infectious smile.

Some of the greatest memories I have with uncle lai are mostly with my father & Allison and I. Uncle Lai would come down into town no matter how far he lived. If it was a birthday, family get together or a trip .. trust me he’d be there with the upmost smile and warm heart uncle he was. Every trip to LA with my father & sister we would visit uncle Lai before anything . Instead of booking a hotel for nights , uncle Lai would take us in his hospitality and give up his room for my sister and I to rest on those long LA nights before Disney land or Lego land trips . Allison & I would be so dog tired from the car ride uncle Lai would literally carry both of us on each arm into his house and lay us down to sleep. It sums up on how beautiful his soul was. Sometimes I’d stay up past those late nights to hangout with uncle Lai and my dad and watch them drink some cold Heineken brews  & man.. those nights will be missed .. I’m heartbroken that I couldn’t see uncle Lai one last time . But I’m glad I was in touch with him via instagram. We talk about life & school , fishing spots  and talk about his duties of a deputy in LA. Uncle Lai loved shooting targets with my dad and I mean looveddddd shooting . I won’t forget the first time uncle Lai helped me shoot my first AR and handgun . Oh uncle Lai hopefully my sister Mai greeted you at the gates of heaven and welcomed you with a massive hug of love ❤️. Truly One of the greatest uncle of all time . Rest in power uncle Lai forever in our hearts💙🤍 god gained a warrior .

Lai loved traveling to Vietnam. It was so enjoyable traveling with him.

We took a family &  friends trip to Portland in 2017. I remember Lai telling us that it was one of the most fun trips he has ever been on. We were stuck in the rain one night. As we waited for our uber to come, we kept singing an Ed Sheeran song over and over again (knowing only the chorus). He told us afterwards grinning like a little kid, “I’ve always wanted to sing in the rain.”

AVIS DE DÉCÈS

Joseph Huynh

1 avril 1984 – 7 mars 2025

Westminster Memorial Park & Mortuary

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