Obituaries : Bao V. Tran Lam

Bao V. Tran Lam, 92, of Iowa City, passed away at his home on December 15, 2021.

Burial will be at 2:00pm on Monday, December 20, 2021, at Memory Gardens Cemetery Iowa City. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in Bao's name to the charity of your choice.

Bao was born May 5, 1929, in Viet Nam. On December 25, 1953, Bao married Quang Thi Vi in Hanoi, Viet Nam. Bao and Quang emigrated to the United States in 1985 to reunite with their children after 10 years of separation.

In 1957, Bao became a medical doctor in Viet Nam and then after coming to the United States he worked for many years as a research assistant at the University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics retiring in 1997.

Bao enjoyed spending time with his grandchildren: Andrew, Christine, Alan, Bryan, Anthony, Thomas, Peter, Michelle, James, Anwer, Lila, Sarah, Zahra, Fatimah, Mehdi, Ali, David, Audrey, Julia, Samuel, Emerson, and Ingrid.

He has always been a great father, a responsible provider, and he was present and involved in our lives growing up. Though carrying a great burden of a sole breadwinner not only for his own family but also extended family members, he still had time for us with our daily activities such as our regular schooling, our musical school, and all the holidays and vacations. He has always managed to do things as a family by taking us out to restaurants for special treats, to movies, to swimming pools, and etc.

I remembered on some good weathered evenings, we would lie in the outdoors, looking up to the sky and the stars while he told us stories of his childhood way back when he was in the North of Viet Nam. He would try to teach us the value of money by becoming our 'banker,' and let us deposit our allowances and teach us how to save money and use it wisely. There is so much of our father to tell on papers. His love for us was always ample. Our missing of him is in turn amplified by the loss of him in our life. We are not quite sure how to deal with his absence, but we believe, in time, our love and appreciation for our father will keep growing just as his presence in all our lives will always remain in our hearts.

Bao is survived by his children: Binh (Hoa) Tran Lam of Kingston, WA; Quynh (David Cushman) Tran Lam of Coalmont, TN; Anh (Khaled) Habib of Kuwait City, Kuwait; Vi (Rahim) Ahmadi of Chevy Chase, MD; Quy (Patrice) Tran Lam of Vinton, IA; siblings, Tran Lam Ban, Tran Lam Ban, Tran Lam Bien, Tran Lam Hieu, Tran Lam Loan, Tran Lam Bang, Tran Lam Huong, Tran Lam Lan, Tran Lam Truc, Tran Lam Nga; 20 grandchildren, 11 great grandchildren, and many extended family and friends.

Bao was preceded in death by his parents, his wife, one brother and one sister, two grandchildren.