Vui Thi Vu's Obituary
Vui means “joy” and “happy” in Vietnamese. She always brought joy and happiness to everyone. She was such a happy child that everyone around her gave her the nickname “Vui”. She embraced this nickname and took it as her first name. She always carried her favorite handbag, LV (Louis Vuitton). She often said she liked the brand because it contained her name “Vui”. Her children called her affectionately “Me”, which in Vietnamese means “Mom” and her grandchildren and great grandchildren called her affectionately, “Ba”, which in Vietnamese means “Grandma.” Mom was born on October 17, 1941 in Hanoi, Vietnam. Mom was raised in Saigon, Vietnam. Mom married Dang Van Vu, Dad. Mom and Dad immigrated from Vietnam to Utah in 1975 with all their children. Mom was the proud mother of 9 children, 9 grandchildren, and 7 great grandchildren.
Mom often said that she was the glue that brought everyone together, which is true even to this day. Mom often called loved ones “beautiful”, “handsome” and sometimes both at the same time to the same person. Her grandchildren have fond memories of Ba. Ba loved arriving an hour early to family parties to help out and to try the delicious food. She always said, “Hi. How are you?” She was always laughing and hugging everyone. Ba’s favorite beverage was Fanta Pineapple soda. Ba would sometimes take this soda home along with some candy as reminders of the fun she had at these family gatherings. She knew she wasn’t supposed to have these items for health reasons, so she would often put her finger over her mouth, said “shhh” and laughed with others.
Ba used to host family Thanksgiving and Christmas events every year until she couldn’t anymore. Ba always made egg rolls and other traditional Vietnamese foods to honor her proud heritage. Ba always had a smile on her face because she was happy to see everyone. Ba always had such a strong happy energy because she loved everyone so much and she gave so much love to everyone. Every time she saw her grandson, she would tell him that he had lucky ears and how he looked so much like his dad, her son. When everyone would leave, she made sure to stand by the window and waved goodbye to everyone.
Ba’s pride was her hair. Ba’s hair was her crown and her comb was practically a magic wand. She always carried a comb with her to keep her hair just right. Visiting Ba felt sometimes like visiting a salon, not just any salon, but a salon full of love and laughter. Ba often gave her granddaughter some pointers on how to make her hair as pretty as hers. By the end of each visit, her granddaughter’s hair would be a new creation, sometimes glamorous, sometimes a little too creative, but always made with love. This happy memory was filled with the sound of joyful and happy laughter. Ba will be forever loved and thank you for being a beautiful person to everyone.
Mom is survived by her husband, Dang, and her children: Hoang (Cherie); Huong (John); Han (Olivia); Hong (Guy); Hang; Hung (Alana); Chau (Ivan); her grandchildren and great grandchildren: Brittney (Noah, Kayden, Jaxon and Kai); Elexus (Azton and Evelyn); Terrence; Jordan; Foster (Summer, Yuri and Audrick); Mitchell; Hana; Stella; and Jett. Mom is preceded in death by both her parents and baby son in Vietnam and her son, Hien, in Utah.
Mom’s patron saint was St. Martin de Porres. So it is fitting to have a celebration of her life with a mass to be held at St. Martin de Porres Catholic Church located at 4914 South 2200 West, Taylorsville, UT at 11:00 am on Friday, September 6, 2024. We will all have a Fanta Pineapple soda in your loving memory. We love you!
What’s your fondest memory of Vui?
What’s a lesson you learned from Vui?
Share a story where Vui's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Vui you’ll never forget.
How did Vui make you smile?