Anh Thuan Truong

Anh Thuan Truong was born on September 8, 1944 in Gia Rai, Viet Nam. She was the second of ten siblings. She is survived by her 7 brothers: Hao, Moc, Van, Thanh, Tien, Linh, and Dung and her two sisters: Qui and Duyen. Since she was the eldest daughter, she held many responsibilities which included protecting and raising eight of her younger siblings while also caring for her parents. At the age of eighteen, she married our father, Sanh Hai Banh. She had to leave her family behind and move in with her husband’s family as that was the custom at the time. Since our father was the eldest son in his family, she continued to shoulder additional responsibilities by caring and cooking for his family. The start of her new life with her husband brought many joys. The main ones being the birth of her five children: Ai Van, Gia Hung, Nancy, Tho Vinh, and Amy. Since Viet Nam was at war, our father had to leave town to avoid being drafted, which meant she was left as the sole provider, raising five children by herself. When Viet Nam fell under communist control in 1975, she and our father made one of the most difficult decisions of their lives. That decision was to escape Viet Nam in hopes of giving their children better opportunities. That decision also came with much risk since many refugees died at sea. During our own journey at sea, we risked death on many occasions: the stormy weather, being without food and water, and coming across pirates. We spent four days and three nights crowded on a fishing boat. With such a heavy heart, our mother was also saddened to know she potentially would never see her family in Viet Nam again. Our challenges at sea finally came to an end when our boat was spotted by a United Nations ship. We were towed to a Malaysian Island where we stayed at a refugee camp until we were adopted by the United States. We landed in San Francisco on March 11, 1981 and settled in Sacramento permanently thereafter. Life in a foreign country continued to be filled with challenges for our parents. With five little children to raise and not knowing the language or customs, our mother worked as a sweat shop worker. We watched her sew from dawn to dusk, as a means of providing food, clothing, and shelter for us. Her love for us was indescribable and her courage was beyond measure. Even at the end of her life, she fought not only stomach cancer, but breast cancer, and a more recent heart attack with courage and grace. Despite the many challenges and hardships in her life, she truly lived to the fullest. She loved cooking for us. She gathered many friends and family through her tireless cooking over the years. She also loved vacationing with her family and friends. She had been to many places including China, Viet Nam, Canada, Europe, and Hawaii. Her last vacation was with her extended family in March 2015 to Lake Powell, Bryce Canyon, Zion, and Antelope Canyon. She was able to do a 4 mile mountainous hike in Bryce Canyon! Although our mother’s life was shortened, she felt at peace and complete knowing that she gave us a better life. We want to thank you, mom, for your love, courage, and selflessness. You will be missed and be forever in our hearts! Until we meet again….