An Thi Tran
An Thi Tran died peacefully at home on July 14, 2024, of complications from cancer.
An was born on August 21, 1981 in Santa Ana, Calif., and grew up in nearby Irvine. An’s childhood loves were her family, music, and school.
An’s parents instilled in her a sense of love for, and duty to, family. Her childhood was marked by the arrival of grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins, whom her parents sponsored to the United States after fleeing Vietnam in the 1970’s. Thus, An’s local extended family grew in size during her childhood, eventually becoming a large support network. An grew up understanding how fortunate she was to be born in the United States, where so many opportunities were open to her.
An loved music, with one friend describing is as a balm. Her primary instrument was the piano, for which she received classical training. She also played the violin in her school orchestra. An approached music the same rigor that she approached her schoolwork: she strived for excellence and put in the work to achieve it.
An was an outstanding student and loved learning. She frequently told her family stories about her favorite teachers and assignments. In high school she took-on a demanding courseload, participated in student government, and volunteered at Irvine Medical Center and a local senior center. Her high school friends describe her as driven, dedicated, and reliable.
After graduating from University High School in Irvine, An studied human biology, with a focus in adolescent development, at Stanford University. An liked to say that she majored in teenagers. Beyond coursework, An worked in research labs and volunteered in the community. In all of her endeavors An earned a reputation for responsibility, maturity, and dependability.
It was in college that An met her husband, Jeff. They met on move-in today at their freshman dorm and had dinner together their first evening. It was the opposite of romantic: it was an academic advising dinner. Nevertheless, An began to make Jeff’s dorm room one of her favorite study locations, and Jeff didn’t seem to mind. After no shortage of encouragement from their friends, An and Jeff began dating their junior year of college. They enjoyed many of the same things they enjoyed later in their relationship: spending time together in nature, touring cities, and with friends and family.
After college, An served two years in the Americorps VISTA program. Her focus area was K-12 education, working with the Orange County, California Department of Education in her first year, and then as an Americorps VISTA leader with Youth Service California in Oakland her second year. After her Americorps experience, An pursued a career in fundraising for K-12 and higher education, beginning at Eastside College Preparatory School in East Palo Alto, California. Eastside College Prep was then a fledgling private school focused on educating underserved youth, and An jumped in with enthusiasm to help the school succeed.
An moved to Seattle in 2007 and worked for several years at Lakeside School, where she managed the annual fund, which among other things supported student financial aid. She developed close bonds with her colleagues there and supervised the orienteering club, where she got to know many students. In supervising the club, An got hooked on orienteering as a hobby, and later enjoyed it with her children. An continued to pursue her career at University Prep before moving to higher education, first at Seattle Pacific University and then at the University of Washington, where she held roles on the regional advancement team as well as at UW Medicine supporting the ophthalmology department. At SPU and in her regional role at UW, An had the opportunity to travel along the West Coast to meet and develop relationships with donors. An loved people, and as someone who would describe herself as “an old soul,” she was at home conversing with donors, who as a group tended to be older adults. An will be remembered professionally for her diligence, commitment, and creativity.
An and Jeff married in 2008 and settled in the Seattle area, living mostly in Kirkland. As a partner, An was devoted to Jeff. They enjoyed hiking, reading, music, travel, and spending time with friends and family. She enjoyed learning to live her best Northwest life, hiking to alpine lakes, picking berries at local farms, rollerblading around Green Lake, enjoying outdoor activities in the rain, and even taking a ski lesson. She never did enjoy driving in the snow.
With the birth of her first child in 2011, An began a new vocation: motherhood. In time, An became mother to three kids. She loved them fiercely and unconditionally. In her last days, An’s unfiltered thoughts centered on the well-being of her children. An volunteered in her children’s classrooms, including teaching kids about Tết, the Vietnamese celebration of the lunar new year. She organized their summer camp schedules with a color-coded spreadsheet. She volunteered to lead Sunday School classes. She read to them, bathed them, fed them, drove them to activities, organized birthday parties and play dates, encouraged them in their studies, and generally did everything in her power to give them a strong foundation for life.
As a wife, partner, sister, daughter, friend, and mother, An will be remembered for her generosity of spirit, desire for justice, and deep love for her family.
An is preceded in death by her father, Hop Tran. She is survived by her mother, Joan (Nguyen) Tran of Tustin, Calif.; siblings Vi Tran of New York, NY, Kim Tran of Santa Rosa, Calif., and Vince Tran of New York, NY; husband, Jeffrey Churchill and children, Elizabeth, John, and Marian Churchill of Kirkland, Wash.; and many aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, and nephews.
A memorial service will be held July 27, 2024, at 1 p.m. at Holy Spirit Lutheran Church, 10021 NE 124th St., Kirkland, WA. All are invited. In lieu of flowers, An’s family encourages donations to to help a new generation of refugees make a home in the United States, or to organizations that support K-12 education.
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