Tran Cam Hong

It is with great sadness that we share the news of the passing of Trần Cẩm Hồng, a cherished wife, mother, grandmother, sister, and aunt. Her peaceful passing on April 13, 2023, surrounded by her loving family, leaves a profound emptiness in our hearts.

Born on June 22, 1952, in Saigon, Việt Nam, to Trần Văn Gần and Nguyển Ngọc Lang, Cẩm Hồng was the seventh of ten siblings, and affectionately known as Bảy Thỏ by those who loved her. Her life was full of beauty, obstacles, and triumphs, a true manifestation of love, selflessness, and empathy.

Cẩm Hồng met her soulmate, Nguyễn Văn Thành, on April 2, 1973. Their love was tested when Thành was imprisoned by the Vietnamese Communist Regime in 1975, but

Cẩm Hồng supported him throughout his captivity and waited for his release. When Thành was released five years later, they married and began a life filled with love. Even in her final days of failing health, she still cared for Thành, calling him her man, joking with him, feeding him, playing board games and music with him. Her poetic death date allowed her to celebrate their fiftieth anniversary of the day they met as well as his birthday. She loved him until the very end.

In 1991, Cẩm Hồng and her family immigrated to the United States as a refugee and settled in Salt Lake City, Utah. She worked humbly as an assembler until the company outsourced labor and she was laid off. She then obtained her bachelor’s degree in social work—a core part of her essence—from the University of Utah and helped Vietnamese refugees and immigrants with language barriers obtain resources to learn new trades. She later retired to become a full-time caregiver to her husband.

A noble, benevolent, and caring person who lived by the words “love one another,” Cẩm Hồng's passion for giving back to her community was unparalleled. She tirelessly taught Catechism and Vietnamese to Sunday school students at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church. Her altruistic dedication to assisting those in need knew no bounds, and she donated so much of her time and energy to service. She would drive those without transportation, provide housing for those without shelters, and even went as far as cooking and delivering food to the homeless. Even after retiring, she assisted the elderly with translation services in hospitals and medical settings.

She was an adventurous soul who enjoyed trying new things, even if it meant taking up ice- skating in her sixties and breaking her arm in the process. She loved language, and was fluent in Vietnamese, French, English, Spanish, Cantonese, and American Sign Language. She loved to travel, particularly on road trips with her “honey”, visiting all the national parks, admiring all the beauty nature has to offer. She loved Paris and was happiest when she “walked the streets of Pari”. She loved hula-hooping, crocheting, gardening, poetry, and singing Cải Lương. Most of all, she loved to cook delicious Vietnamese dishes, and her kitchen was always open. Cẩm Hồng's magnetic personality, infectious humor, and kindness were an inspiration to those lucky enough to know her.

Cẩm Hồng is survived by her husband Nguyễn Văn Thành, daughter Nguyễn Hồng Loan (Eric), son Nguyễn Thành An; her best friend and sister Trần Cẩm Nhung, niece Nguyễn Hoàng Anh (Ramon), nephew Nguyễn Phước An; brother Trần Ngọc Thạch in California, sisters Trần Bạch Tuyết in Canada, and Trần Kim Cúc in Vietnam, along with so many nieces and nephews across the world. The last few months of her life were most fulfilling as she became a grandmother to her granddaughter.

As we mourn Cẩm Hồng’s passing, we take solace in the knowledge that she is now reunited with her mother and father, sister Trần Ngọc Huệ, and brothers Trần Kim Sơn, Trần Bửu Châu, Trần Quang Trí, and Trần Quang Minh, who preceded her in death. Her absence has left a palpable void that cannot be filled, but her legacy of love, kindness, and compassion will forever live on in the hearts and lives of those she touched.

We invite you to pay your respects to Cẩm Hồng at a viewing on April 20th at Starks Funeral Parlor in Millcreek from 6-8 pm. A funeral mass will be celebrated on April 22nd at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church, 1375 East Spring Lane, Holladay at 10:30 AM.

Rest in peace, Mom. You will be so dearly missed. You were a mother to all.