The Brenda (Trinh) Ho Memorial
Donation protected
Dear friends and family,
Our hearts are broken as we mourn the loss of our mom, Brenda (Trinh) Ho (62). Brenda was diagnosed with stage-four gastro esophageal cancer in June 2019. True to form, she put up a big and brave fight for well over a year, lasting much longer than most with her diagnosis would. Our mom passed away due to complications of the cancer in the early morning of August 11, 2020. Our family was very fortunate to be able to spend two days at her bedside during her last days on this planet. On her final night, she waited until we left to let go. Mom was a very purposeful person. We believe she wanted us to remember her as she was.
Every person that crossed her path fell in love with Brenda. Friends, family, colleagues, religious leaders, doctors and nurses described her as an intelligent, funny and a strong, brave fighter. Everyone who knew her knows that she was an incredibly compassionate, generous and humble person. Her Joie de Vivre was contagious.
Brenda was born in Vietnam in 1958. The fifth of six sisters, each of her sisters would describe her as smart, fun loving and always getting into some kind of mischief. Her school friends have reached out from far and wide, describing her as a leader who was very much loved by everyone. After the Vietnam War, Mom immigrated to the US with her younger brother as one of the “Boat People”. She never spoke about the journey in too much detail, but she recalled surviving days in an internment camp in Malaysia before making her way to the US. She recalled praying to the Buddha Goddess of Mercy for protection during the grueling boat journey. As soon as Mom stepped off of the boat to get onto land, it sank. She was one of the lucky ones who survived the ocean trip. About 400,000 “Boat People” died at sea. Yet at the peak of the refugee crisis, ⅔ of Americans didn’t want the Vietnamese in the United States. Mom landed in Fort Chaffee, near Ft. Smith, Arkansas in June 1979.
Not speaking a word of English when she first arrived, Brenda started making a life for herself. She worked as a waitress in Arkansas, later studied to be a nurse in Los Angeles, moved into banking (eventually becoming a Vice President at one of the top banks in the world) and was asked by a client to go work at their export company, where she spent the last 20 years as VP of Documentation. Brenda was the primary income earner of the home. For most of our lives, our mom worked so that we could live comfortably. One of our mom’s proudest achievements was being able to purchase a house in the San Gabriel Valley all on her own. Not only that, she was intentional and worked hard to save to afford making renovations to create the perfect home for her family.
Not only was Brenda a successful career professional, but also a wonderful mother to Vivian and Stephanie, and wife to Du for whom she was the main caregiver as he suffers from Alzheimer’s and Dementia. Our mom gave us our strength, tenacity, and taught us to be accepting, generous and kind to all people. Her love of food, fun and religion will continue on in her daughters. Our mom was a tremendous person.
We ask that you give generously to support our family during this time. Up until the end, Mom was the breadwinner and significantly helped to provide for Du, her husband. Your contribution will help with 1) her funeral costs 2) keeping the home that she was so proud of being able to purchase on her own, and 3) providing care for Du. Your gift of support is very much appreciated by our family during these trying times.
With much love and thanks, the Ho Family (Du, Vivian and Stephanie) & Oscar Cortes
Our hearts are broken as we mourn the loss of our mom, Brenda (Trinh) Ho (62). Brenda was diagnosed with stage-four gastro esophageal cancer in June 2019. True to form, she put up a big and brave fight for well over a year, lasting much longer than most with her diagnosis would. Our mom passed away due to complications of the cancer in the early morning of August 11, 2020. Our family was very fortunate to be able to spend two days at her bedside during her last days on this planet. On her final night, she waited until we left to let go. Mom was a very purposeful person. We believe she wanted us to remember her as she was.
Every person that crossed her path fell in love with Brenda. Friends, family, colleagues, religious leaders, doctors and nurses described her as an intelligent, funny and a strong, brave fighter. Everyone who knew her knows that she was an incredibly compassionate, generous and humble person. Her Joie de Vivre was contagious.
Brenda was born in Vietnam in 1958. The fifth of six sisters, each of her sisters would describe her as smart, fun loving and always getting into some kind of mischief. Her school friends have reached out from far and wide, describing her as a leader who was very much loved by everyone. After the Vietnam War, Mom immigrated to the US with her younger brother as one of the “Boat People”. She never spoke about the journey in too much detail, but she recalled surviving days in an internment camp in Malaysia before making her way to the US. She recalled praying to the Buddha Goddess of Mercy for protection during the grueling boat journey. As soon as Mom stepped off of the boat to get onto land, it sank. She was one of the lucky ones who survived the ocean trip. About 400,000 “Boat People” died at sea. Yet at the peak of the refugee crisis, ⅔ of Americans didn’t want the Vietnamese in the United States. Mom landed in Fort Chaffee, near Ft. Smith, Arkansas in June 1979.
Not speaking a word of English when she first arrived, Brenda started making a life for herself. She worked as a waitress in Arkansas, later studied to be a nurse in Los Angeles, moved into banking (eventually becoming a Vice President at one of the top banks in the world) and was asked by a client to go work at their export company, where she spent the last 20 years as VP of Documentation. Brenda was the primary income earner of the home. For most of our lives, our mom worked so that we could live comfortably. One of our mom’s proudest achievements was being able to purchase a house in the San Gabriel Valley all on her own. Not only that, she was intentional and worked hard to save to afford making renovations to create the perfect home for her family.
Not only was Brenda a successful career professional, but also a wonderful mother to Vivian and Stephanie, and wife to Du for whom she was the main caregiver as he suffers from Alzheimer’s and Dementia. Our mom gave us our strength, tenacity, and taught us to be accepting, generous and kind to all people. Her love of food, fun and religion will continue on in her daughters. Our mom was a tremendous person.
We ask that you give generously to support our family during this time. Up until the end, Mom was the breadwinner and significantly helped to provide for Du, her husband. Your contribution will help with 1) her funeral costs 2) keeping the home that she was so proud of being able to purchase on her own, and 3) providing care for Du. Your gift of support is very much appreciated by our family during these trying times.
With much love and thanks, the Ho Family (Du, Vivian and Stephanie) & Oscar Cortes
Co-organizers (3)
Dieuwertje Kast
Organizer
Chino, CA
Stephanie Ho
Beneficiary
Vivian Ho
Co-organizer