Obituary of Trinh Mien Van

VAN, Trinh Mien It is with great sadness that we announce that Mien Van peacefully passed away on December 19th, 2016. Mien is survived by his wife, Lee and his children Danny, Sandy and Mathew. He was a cherished uncle and father figure to Alex, Tony, Diane, Lily and Devon. He was also a proud grandfather to his corgi pup, Yuna. Mien boasted a rich and vibrant personality, despite overcoming many seemingly insurmountable challenges, including his escape from war-torn Vietnam with Lee in 1980. Mien embraced the hardship of integrating into a new and unfamiliar culture, building a fruitful life in his adopted home country of Canada, which he proudly called home for 36 years. Mien demonstrated an ongoing love for his work at Johnson Matthey, and in his spare time he happily kept himself busy alongside friends while tackling various home repair projects. Mien was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer in 2013. Over the past 3.5 years he continued to lead a life full of love and happiness. He also courageously defied physicians' expectations with regard to his longevity, demonstrating an unexpected ability to continue to maintain a high quality of life through his positive spirit and his refusal to succumb to his diagnosis. He continued to enjoy travel, great food, coffee outings, and most of all spending time with his beloved family and adorable puppy. Mien played many roles in life - father, husband, uncle and friend. He enriched the lives of everyone who knew him, especially his children. He will be dearly missed. Friends and family are invited to pay their final respects at the GEORGE DARTE FUNERAL CHAPEL, 585 Carlton Street, St. Catharines, on Tuesday, December 27th from 5:30pm-8:00pm and Wednesday, December 28th from 10am-12pm. There will be words of remembrance spoken on Tuesday evening at 6:45pm. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made that will be distributed by the family between Hospice Niagara and Hospital for Sick Children.