Duc Song Trieu

My Dad was born in Canton, China in 1925. He moved to Hai Phong, Vietnam in his early adult life, and eventually settled in the city of Danang where he met my Mom, Tran Que Phuong, who was also a Chinese descendant. They married and raised their kids in Danang until our family immigrated to the US in 1979.

My Mom and Dad were married for over 56 years. Three years ago in 2007, my Mom lost her fight with cancer. My Dad had been pretty lonely since, and he missed my Mom dearly.

Like many youth in Asian countries, my Dad took part in soccer. He didn’t participate in sports much during his adult life. However, he was a big soccer fan, and also the biggest boxing fan. He loved to watch boxing, and rarely missed a fight on TV. Whenever there was a fight being broadcasted, you can be sure he’s the first to call to inform us, and we would share many fond memories watching fights together.

When he was younger, my Dad loved going to the movies. In fact, he tried running his own movie theatre business – so that he can watch all the movies he wanted, and be the first to see any new movies available. Instead of going to sports outing, he would take his kids to watch movies!

During his school years, my Dad was among the top math students at his school. We refer to him as the “walking abacus”. Either at the grocery stores or restaurants, he was always quicker than the cash register or calculator when it comes to providing any calculations. Even when he was in his 80’s, my Dad was still faster than most of us when it comes to numbers.

He didn’t attend any college and had to work at a very young age to support his family and never got the chance to do any advanced study. He probably would have done pretty well in the engineering and science fields. His thinking was always very precise and logical.

In his middle years, my Dad enjoyed playing cards and mahjong with his close friends. They would gather on weekends to play and enjoy each other’s companies.

In his later years, my Dad was someone who preferred quiet time. He was pretty much a home body and didn’t like to travel. His favorite hobby was watching TV. The TV was always on - from morning to late night. In addition to boxing, he enjoyed Chinese TV series and movies. He also enjoyed western movies – Charles Bronson, Clint Eastwood, John Wayne, and Paul Newman were among his favorite actors.

My Dad had 6 children – 3 girls and 3 boys named Linda Phan (Richard), Tien Trieu (Eva), Pam Nguyen (Khoa), Steve Trieu (Jessica), Joyce Trieu, and Paul Trieu (Alice). In Chinese, the pairing of the daughter and son characters makes up another Chinese character that means “Good Fortune” – he was always proud to tell people that he’s got 3 times the fortune. My Dad was also blessed with 10 grandchildren named Marisa Phan (Howie), Jessica Phan, Connie Trieu, Vanessa Trieu, Michael Nguyen, Kevin Nguyen, Waylan Trieu, Alan Trieu, Damon Trieu, and Marcus Trieu.

In Vietnam, my parents owned and ran their own hardware business. They were very successful business owners. My Dad was also an active community leader and loved to help many people who were less fortunate than him. He also supported various causes that he believed in. He was also a senior board member for the city’s only Chinese K-12 school, where all kids with Chinese descendant attended. As a board member, he led and supported many initiatives to help improve the education program.

When southern Vietnam was lost to communist North, my parents’ business was confiscated by the new government. They lost everything they had worked hard for. Two years after the fall of southern Vietnam, in 1977, my parents took the entire family out of the country. We had a short stay in Taiwan, and eventually immigrated to San Jose, California in 1979. Throughout this life changing ordeal, my Dad remained strong and was always thinking first for his kids’ future. To us kids, this was one of his biggest accomplishments and sacrifice.

When we first arrived in California, my Mom had to stay back in Taiwan for nearly a year. My Dad became “Mr. Mom” for us. He cooked dinner every single night, and being someone who preferred to manage his life with routines, would cook the same meal every night. Bean sprouts, tofu, and shredded pork were his main ingredients in his cooking that we all have grown to enjoy.

It’s amazing what modern medicine can do. My Dad had a long list of health problems, some of which included heart double by-pass surgery, gallbladder removal, artery disease, cancer, and renal failure which he needed dialysis. Despite the medial issues, my Dad managed his health care very well with the help of all his doctors. He was very discipline in taking his daily medication, and regularly doing exercise on his treadmill. All the way until his last days, my Dad remained very independent. He drove himself around town to take care of most of his daily errands.

My Dad lived a very happy and fulfilling life. He was warm, caring, funny, private, and welcoming to everyone. My Dad was always surrounded by family and close friends. When my Mom was still around, she treated him like a King. She took excellent care of him with all the fabulous food that she cooked. They were true partners, and loved and supported each other until the end.

My Dad passed away Monday, December 13, 2010 at Regional Hospital in San Jose, California. He is survived by his children Linda Phan, Tien Trieu, Pam Nguyen, Steve Trieu, Joyce Trieu, and Paul Trieu; his sons and daughter-in-laws, Richard Phan, Eva Trieu, Khoa Nguyen, Jessica Trieu, and Alice Trieu; and his grandchildren Marisa Phan, Jessica Phan, Connie Trieu, Vanessa Trieu, Michael Nguyen, Kevin Nguyen, Waylan Trieu, Alan Trieu, Damon Trieu, and Marcus Trieu.

Commitment is a key word that can be used to describe the life of my father, Duc Song Trieu. He was committed to living the life of a good man who was both practical and trustworthy. He was committed to the traditional values that he upheld his entire life. He committed himself to being a hard worker who expected the same effort in return from those around him. Most of all, he was committed to those he knew and loved.