Thuận Văn Huỳnh
January 1, 1941 - July 6, 2026
Obituary
Thuận Văn Huỳnh was born in Cần Thơ, Vietnam, on January 1, 1941. He was the second child of seven children born to his father, Huỳnh Văn Ngới and mother, Trần Thị Mùi. He is survived by his siblings: Hoa Văn Huỳnh, Xuân Ngọc Huỳnh, and Nhị Thị Huỳnh. He is preceded in death by his siblings: Khôn Văn Huỳnh, Huê Thị Huỳnh, and Thu Cúc Thị Huỳnh. He married Nhuận Thị Trần in 1968 and went on to have five sons in total: Thương Ngọc Huỳnh (Michael), Thanh Ngọc Huỳnh (Tony), Thính Ngọc Huỳnh (Johnny), Lâm Tiến Huỳnh (Tim) and Valuable Trọng Huỳnh.
When the Vietnam War began, Thuận fought in the South Vietnamese Army alongside American soldiers. Following the end of the war, he was placed in a re-education camp. Upon his release in 1979, he fled Vietnam for the United States. Sponsored and settled in High Point, North Carolina, he took ESL classes and worked various jobs to save enough money to bring his wife and four young sons to join him.
Back in Vietnam, after several attempts, Nhuận and three of their sons successfully fled by boat in 1982. Due to heartbreaking circumstances, she had to leave Johnny behind, though he was eventually able to escape later with his aunt and cousins. Their boat lost fuel and course, ending up in Malaysian waters and were taken to Bidong Island, Malaysia. They were eventually transferred to a refugee camp in Bataan, Philippines, where they remained until the processing center located Thuận.
In the summer of 1983, Nhuận and her three sons, Michael, Tony, and Tim, finally reunited with Thuận in North Carolina. Thuận secured a job as an upholsterer at Braxton Culler, a well-known furniture company in High Point. During their time there, they welcomed their fifth son, Valuable Trọng Huỳnh. To everyone’s joy, Johnny reunited with the family in 1986. In the summer of 1987, the family relocated to Stockton, California, which has been their home ever since.
Thuận worked hard to provide for his family, working for a time as a landscaper and later taking on various freelance upholstery jobs. Nhuận dedicated her life to their home and raising their five boys. Her love language was food; she always ensured a warm meal was waiting and that the rice cooker was full for their family.
As the years passed, each of his sons married: Michael and Thắm, Tony and Mie (and his late wife, Tracy), Johnny and Như Ý, Tim and Noreli, and Valuable and Sonya. They began families of their own, and Thuận was very proud watching his grandchildren grow. In total, Thuận and Nhuận were blessed with 14 grandchildren: Richard, Anthony, Tiffany, Tyson, Joshua, Matthew, Nhu-Tien, Skylar, Jayson, Mickayla, Brayden, Natalie, Myles, and Mila. He is survived by all of his immediate family members, as well as extended family in the United States and Vietnam.
Outside of providing for his family, Thuận loved to tinker with and maintain their vehicles; to this day, the family remembers how everything always seemed to smell like gasoline. He will also be remembered for his passion for yard sales, buying up “antiques” and adding them to his growing “collection”. He also found great joy in
volunteering at various Buddhist temples alongside Nhuận. Beyond his hobbies, Thuận had a social, exuberant personality. His family will fondly recall his goofiness as he tried to make them laugh, and those booming “Hellooooos!” whenever he greeted you.
In Spring of 2025, his wife, Nhuận was diagnosed with cancer of the gallbladder. Choosing comfort over treatment, she decided to live out her remaining days embracing life, both making each holiday and family gathering even more precious. As her health slowly declined, Nhuận Thị Trần took her final breath on the evening of June 8, 2026, at 9:08 p.m., surrounded by the family who comforted her until she was at peace.
Deeply feeling the absence of his lifelong partner, Thuận’s health began to decline. The family is grateful they were able to spend one last Father’s Day celebrating their patriarch. On the evening of July 5th, most of the immediate family visited, sharing hugs and words of love. On the morning of July 6, 2026, at 8:54 a.m., Thuận rejoined his beloved wife, comforted by his son, Valuable, and daughter-in-law, Sonya.
The family extends their deepest gratitude to Valuable and Sonya Huynh for opening
their hearts and home, providing their Ba and Ông Nội with boundless love, care, and
comfort until his very last breath.
Thuận survived the dangers of war and endured the hardships of leaving his homeland in search of a better life. He kept many of his stories close to his heart. Both Thuận and Nhuận took a leap of faith, relying on nothing but hope, and did everything in their power to reunite and raise their five boys. Their resilience, their sacrifices, and their profound love defined their family.
Although his family is heartbroken at the loss of both their matriarch and patriarch in
such a short time, they are comforted knowing that they are finally reunited again.
VISITATION
A visitation will be held from 11:00am - 7:00pm on Friday, July 10th, 2026 at the Vineyard Chapel at Cherokee Memorial Park, located at 14165 N. Beckman Rd, Lodi, CA 95240.
SERVICE
A service will be held at 9:00am on Saturday, July 11th, 2026 at the Vineyard Chapel at Cherokee Memorial Park, located at 14165 N. Beckman Rd, Lodi, CA 95240
Cherokee Memorial is honored to serve the Huynh family.
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