ThuNhi DoQuang Barrus

A mother, grandmother, sister, dear friend, patron of the arts, volunteer and much, much more, Thu Nhi Barrus was well loved by many within her family, the Houston community and the world and she will be greatly missed by all. Thu Nhi passed on to join her beloved husband and her father and mother on Tuesday, July 12, 2022.

Thu Nhi was born on May 9, 1947 in Saigon, Vietnam to Binh and Yen-Tuyet DoQuang where she lived throughout her childhood. Thu Nhi came to the U.S. in 1967 at the height of the Vietnam War. She attended Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, TX to get a degree in Sociology. Just a few months prior to coming to the U.S., Thu Nhi faced a personal tragedy. She was struck by an oil truck while walking and had her leg amputated below the knee. But that never held her back. After seeing the suffering of others in the hospital where she stayed for 2 months, Thu Nhi accepted her loss and embraced that as part of her identity throughout the rest of her life.

Thu Nhi met the love of her life, Bob Barrus, in 1969 while giving a lecture at a French language school in Houston. When she finished the lecture, she asked if there were any questions. Bob raised his hand and asked, “What’s your phone number?” They were married later that year on Thanksgiving Day and she instantly became the mother of two 8-year-old twin boys, Bob and Joe.

Soon after, she moved with her new husband and children to Columbus, Ohio where Bob was transferred for his work. There she gave birth to son Richard in 1972. Her adventure in the cold climate of Ohio was short lived and the family moved back to Houston in 1973 where she and Bob bought a home in west Houston where they raised their children to adulthood. As empty nesters, they sold their home and moved into a high-rise condo in the Galleria area where she lived until her passing. She lost her husband in 1998 but always still felt he was part of her life and frequently mentioned looking forward to joining him in eternity when the time was right. Her family is pleased knowing she is with him again now. In 2004 she found companionship in her marriage to E.C. Moore. After their divorce, she continued a long-lasting relationship with his children, Marilyn and Hunter.

Thu Nhi had a multi-faceted career, first as a juvenile probation officer after college. When she moved back to Houston, she leveraged her very creative side with an eye for décor and partnered with Wes Gamble to start an interior decorating business called Gamble/Doquang which kept her busy for many years. After that she leveraged her entrepreneurial skills to help husband Bob in his independent marketing business ventures. After Bob’s passing she went to work with the Immigration and Naturalization service and finished her career as a certified French and Vietnamese linguist consultant with the State Department and FBI, a job she really enjoyed as it allowed her to travel the world, something she often did with her husband Bob when he was alive. Her work family will miss her greatly as well.

Outside work her life adventure kept her busy with many friends in the community. She was active in the opera community as a member of the Houston Grand Opera Guild and was active patron of the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University. She even had a small part as Duchess of Krackentorp in The Opera in the Height’s La Fille du Regiment in 2018. Thu Nhi was an awesome cook and loved to cook for her family and friends. She was such a good cook she actually filmed a pilot for a cooking show on The Food Network that, unfortunately, was never picked up. She would have loved that!

Thu Nhi is survived by her sons, Richard Barrus and Bob Barrus (Vládia) of Houston and Joe Barrus of San Diego, CA. She will be missed by her sisters Mai Nhi Duhamel (Pierre) of Vichy, France, Thuy Nhi Morel, Y Nhi Nguyen and Huynh Hoa Nguyen (Ha) all of Austin and brother Khai DoQuang (Mimi) of Baltimore, Maryland. She cherished spending time with her grandchildren, Corbin, Kaylee, Livia and Nathan. She will also be missed by her “adopted” son, Juan Carlos Urquidi of San Antonio and many nephews, nieces and cousins. She was preceded in death by her husband Robert Joseph Barrus on Dec 15, 1998, her father Binh DoQuang on Sep 20, 2015, mother Yen-Tuyet Nguyen on May 14, 2006 and brother-in-law Hai Nguyen on March 17, 2010.

A celebration of life for all those who knew and loved her will be planned for a future date.