Khai Thi Tran

Maria Tran Thi Khai was born on August 8, 1946, to Tran Yen and Tran Thi Thi, in Ky Anh, Ha Tinh, Vietnam. She was a devout Catholic, who attended daily mass growing up in Vietnam. She had seven sisters and one brother. She married Nguyen Van Hung in Vietnam. Their first child passed within days of birth. They had two sons, Thach and Phung, and one daughter, Duyen in Vietnam. In the midst of the Vietnam War, a very pregnant Khai and her family, along with her sister, Hoa, sought refuge in America. As she was waiting to leave Vietnam, she had one more daughter, Canh Paige.

In America, she and her young family joined her husband’s extended family in Anahuac, Texas. From there, they moved to Beaumont, Texas, where she had two more sons, Andrew and Quoc. Khai and Hung had to endure many hardships in their life in America. Since they did not speak English well, they had to hold physical jobs. Khai was a short order cook at night at a Louisiana truck stop so that she could take care of kids during the day. She eventually worked at Red Lobster as an assistant cook for thirty years, where she retired. Khai also had to figure out how to do things like school supplies, grocery shopping, and many other things that seem easy but are much more difficult if you don’t speak the language.

Khai was very proud that all of her children receiving higher education and holding successful jobs. She has thirteen grandchildren. She loved to travel to see family and visit her homeland. She also continued her Catholic devotion, as an active member of St. Joseph church in Beaumont, and a parish member of St. Charles in Nederland. She also loved going on religious pilgrimages. Plus, she made the best Vietnamese eggrolls!

Survivors in include her sons Thach Nguyen and his wife Kim of Nederland, Phung Nguyen of Port Neches, Lan Nguyen and his wife Regina of Mont Belvieu, Quoc Nguyen and his wife Xuyen of Port Arthur; daughters Duyen Wolken and husband Lance of Conroe, Canh Taylor and husband Shawn of New Mexico; Grandchildren Ty and Brandon Nguyen, Andrew and Lia Nguyen, Jonathan and Megan Wolken, Elijah and Kylie Edwards, Chloe, Hudson and Meredith Nguyen, Ian and Alex Nguyen; sisters in Vietnam Dì Dượng yên, Dì Dượng tám sai, Dì thÆ°Æ¡ng, Dì phÆ°Æ¡ng, Dì mại, Dì Dượng Ä‘ê đại, Dì Dượng hạnh chính, Dì Dượng thân hoa, Dì Dượng lÆ°u hồng, Dì Dượng thắng huê.

She was preceded in death by her parents, and husband, Hung Van Nguyen. 

A gathering of Mrs. Tran’s family and friends will begin at 5:30 p.m., with a Rosary to follow at 6:00 p.m., Wednesday, September 2, Thursday September 3, and Friday September 4, 2020, at Broussard’s, 2000 McFaddin Avenue, Beaumont. 

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 9:00 am Saturday, September 5, 2020, at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, 1115 Orange Avenue, Beaumont. Due to COVID-19 this service will be limited to immediate family only, her graveside service will follow at Magnolia Cemetery, Beaumont, under the direction of Broussard’s Mortuary, 2000 McFaddin, Beaumont, all guests will be invited to this service with social distancing guidelines. Guests attending graveside service, please follow the funeral procession.

Please observe social distancing guidelines. By attending any public event you are acknowledging the risk of exposure to the Coronavirus. Please follow the guidelines provided by the Centers for Disease Control: www.cdc.gov.