Trinh Xuan Mai

Mr. Trinh Mai, the patriarch of the Mai Xuan Family, led an exemplary life - a dutiful son and brother, loving husband, and dedicated father. But far more than anything, he was a man of principles - a leader who always held himself to the highest standard of integrity, kindness, and caring, even against all of his life’s hardships.

Mr. Mai was born on June 6, 1926 in Phưong Canh, a village in the province of Hà Đông, Northern Việt Nam. He was the eldest son of Mr. Trung X. Mai and Mrs. Nhu T. Phi.

His life was fully woven in the tumultuous time of Viet Nam’s national history.

Married in 1946, he migrated to the South in 1955 on the last ship out of the Hải Phòng seaport right before the country was divided into 2 regimes as the result of the 1954 Geneva Accord and Operation Passage Freedom. With the same fate of about 1 million migrating Northerners, Mr. Mai, with his wife and 3 young children, started a new life from nothing, facing tremendous uncertainties. He worked as a court clerk during the day and studied law at night while raising the family. After graduating from law school in 1965, he joined Việt Nam Thương Tín, the largest national commercial bank in South Vietnam, and began a rewarding career there. Mr. Mai later advanced to a Director position and served as the head of the credit/loan department at Việt Nam Thương Tín. In parallel, he was also a visiting professor, teaching weekend and night courses in commercial loan and business at Vạn Hạnh University from 1972 to 1975.

When the communist took over the South in 1975, he was the highest-ranking bank official still remaining in Vietnam under the new regime. As such, he was the prime target for endless unfounded scrutiny. He narrowly escaped being sent to the re-education camp, as he was instrumental to the bank’s transition. Amid such a tremendous and prolonged pressure, he stood tall and eventually gained high respect from the people of the new regime who once considered him their enemy. He retired in 1986 and along with his wife and three daughters, reunited with his four sons and their families in the United States in 1989 through the Orderly Departure Program (ODP). He adored his grandchildren and loved spending time with them, and remained being the strong bond for the family… until his very last day.

He suffered a major stroke in 2016, but throughout the illness, his resilience over the numerous physical limitations and challenges were truly remarkable and admirable.

Today, the entire Mai Family has lost its pillar of strength- the strength, stability and durability of a thousand-year-old Oak tree. Through the shining role model he had been, Mr. Mai’s wish has always been for the family to continue his Legacy of Love and Care…

With Love and Care, he had taken his responsibilities as privileges and pride, not as obligations. With Love and Care, he never wavered from his commitment to adhere to life principles as well as ancestral traditions, and he was determined to pass them on to the future generations. His proudest moments in life were never about himself, but rather the moments regarding those of his children and grandchildren.

Mr. Trinh Mai is survived by his loving wife of 70+ years, Be T. Hoang; daughter Melanie Mai; son Chinh Mai and wife, Thuan Mai; son Quang Mai and wife, Van Mai; son David Mai and wife, Catherine Doan; son Phat Mai and wife, Suz Ramsbottom; daughter Chau Mai; daughter Minh-Ngoc Mai and husband, Tu Nghiem. He is also deeply loved and dearly missed by his 13 grandchildren, they simply called him "Ông Nội" (Eric, Michelle, Alison, Van-Quyen, Elbert, William, Natalie, Conor, Cliona, Alanna) or "Ông Ngoại" (Minh-Ha, Chau-Ha and Mai-Ha). He is also survived by his step siblings in Vietnam - Mr. Thao X. Mai and family, Mrs. Hien T. Mai and family, Mrs. Hau T. Mai and family, Mr. Binh X. Mai and family, as well as many other cousins and family members of the Mai, Hoang and Phi branches who are mostly located in Vietnam but also scattered around the world, who fondly revered him as "Anh, Bác or Ông Trinh"

He was long preceded by death by his father, Mr. Trung X. Mai and his only brother, Mr. Hieu X. Mai, and more recently, his stepmother, Mrs. Dao T. Nguyen.

The funeral ceremony will be on January 8, 2021, first with the Encoffin Ceremony and the Praying Ceremony for the family (lễ Nhập quan, Phát tang, and Cầu siêu) starting at 2pm. Visitation from friends and extended family will commence at 3pm until 6pm, then followed by the Food Offering Rituals to the Deceased (lễ Dâng cơm). On the next day (January 9th), the family will gather to bid farewell one last time from 9:30am-11:30am. The Cremation Praying Ceremony will start at noon, and the Cremation Service is planned no later than 2pm. After the cremation, his ashes will rest at Thanh Long Tự (Thanh Long Temple) in Houston, Texas, under the Buddhist baptized name of Từ Duyên and will be buried later.

The memorial service will be livestreamed via Facebook Live through @ChapelOfEternalPeace · Funeral Service & Cemetery