Ham Huynh
8 November 1921 – 8 August 2014
Fujian, China | Tay Ninh, Vietnam | Edmonton, Alberta,
Canada
His Family
8 Children (4 sons | 4 daughters)
Yen Huynh | Long Lu | Tu Anh Huynh
| Phuong Lu | Denny Hwang | Michael Hwang | Thanh Huynh | My Huynh
6 Children-in-Law
13 Grandchildren (8 grandsons | 5 granddaughters)
4 Grandchildren-in-Law
3 Great Grandchildren (2 great granddaughters | 1 great
grandson)
Day 1 - Aug 8
8 | 8 - My grandfather loved the number 8, as with all
Chinese person, how befitting for his last
Day to fall on 8 | 8. How lucky for my mother to be able to
be there for him in his final hour too!
Day 2 - Aug 9
My grandfather honours tradition, but he's quite a modern
man, who adapts to the changes in his life quite wholeheartedly. I remembered
him getting CD player before his kids even got one for themselves and was one
of the first get a cell phone among him and his kids. I remembered one of the
cousins getting him a Whitney Houston CD.
Day 3 - Aug 10
The love of family! Grandfather loved his family, especially
the kids because he's always a kid a heart and proves it to us time and time
again. No one loves a party more than my grandfather, especially when he can
get the family all together to celebrate with him.
Day 4 - Aug 11
My grandfather left China in his early teens, losing track
of his family. Many years later, after arriving in Canada, my grandfather managed
to track his family back to China in the Fujian province. There he found his
mother...still alive and health. He was able to visit her numerous times and
bringing along with him as many of his children as possible to meet their
grandmother. Great grandmother passed away at the age of over 100 years...I
think 103?
Day 5 - Aug 12
Food! He loves food. I inherited the love of food from my
mom, who inherited it from him. The family took him out every
Day during those last days to go out to eat. He has to satisfy
his food cravings! I remembered him surprising me one summer, taking me to the
mall and ordering a "Donair - no onions" in ENGLISH!
Day 6 - Aug 13
Food...while my grandfather was living in Vancouver for a
short time, remembered him waking up my brother and I so we can take a quick
walk to Chinatown to "yum cha" with all the other grandpas bright and
early! We loved our steamed BBQ pork buns, even half asleep!
Day 7 - Aug 14
Travelling...my mother is so like my grandfather...can't sit
still...has to be doing something or going somewhere to do something. I think
that's why the family got him a cell phone...so they can find him when he
sneaks out of the house to catch the bus to various parts of Edmonton…I swear
he has multiple bus scheduled memorized!!!
Day 8 - Aug 15
It was only in the last few years that my grandfather
stopped gallivanting around the world. He loves to travel...you guessed it...to
eat food from all around the world...he especially loves eating all the variety
of food available in Asia!
Day 9 - Aug 16
Grandfather Ham Huynh loves children...he loved his
children...loved his grandchildren...and loved his great grandchildren. I am so
blessed that he was able to meet Logan, his first great grandson, numerous
times! I remembered a trip we took to Whistler where he demanded to stay around
the bunny hill to watch the little kids learn to ski...always expressing
"oh how very cute they are"
Day 10 - Aug 17
Grandpa Ham Huynh loves to be cool...and he definitely loved
Vince H's cars and motorcycle! When given a choice, he'll ride in Vince's sweet
rides!
Day 11 - Aug 18
Grandpa Ham Huynh loved to celebrate in style...so he went shopping
as soon as he arrived in Vancouver for his Chinese Jacket for my Chinese
Engagement! He looked smashing!!!
Day 12 - Aug 19
Grandpa Ham Huynh loved to get dressed up and have cool
clothes. I remember for a while, he would only wear Timberland branded
clothes...lol...and of course he loved his Hawaiian shirt!
Day 13 - Aug 20
Grampa Ham Huynh loved to get hugs...and he giggles when we
rub his Buddha belly...
Day 14 - Aug 21
Grandpa Ham Huynh loves to get mail especially getting
registered mail where he has to sign on the electronic pad...so I always try to
send him registered mail...addressed to him!
Day 15 - Aug 22
Grandpa Ham Huynh is loved by all of us...and gets teased a
lot...don't know how many countless times he's had his shorts pulled by his
kids and grandkids...hahaha
Day 16 - Aug 23
14 months ago Logan was born giving grandpa Ham Huynh his
first great grandson...we were lucky they were able to spend a few times
together!
Day 17 - Aug 24
Grampa Ham Huynh would have enjoyed laughing at all us who
has been accepting the #icebucketchallenge. He's always out for having a good time and
watching the kids do things that will make him hug his Buddha belly and laugh!
Day 18 - Aug 25
Grandpa Ham Huynh loved to eat...he was always leaving the
house to go out to eat.
Day 19 - Aug 26
Because he was always going out...the family had to hook him
up with a cell phone...a new toy for my gadget happy grandpa.
Day 20 - Aug 27
Grandpa Ham Huynh loved technology...can you imagine what he
has seen over the 94 years of his life from rural China to textile industry
Vietnam to developed country Canada? Anyways...a fond memory was grandpa being
introduced to SKYPE...he got to see Logan play around while we weren't there
with him! He loved it!
Day 21 - Aug 28
Grandpa Ham Huynh loves hockey! Who doesn't? Too bad Justin
Huynh had him loving the Oilers...lol
Day 22 - Aug 29
Grampa Ham Huynh...he's so adorable...the happiness he gets
from just getting a phone call from us is so cute. Makes you remember that the
simplest things makes people more happy than you can guess!
Day 23 - Aug 30
Grandpa Ham Huynh loved to get dressed up...when he arrived
in Vancouver for my Wedding Engagement Celebration he had to go shopping right
away for his Chinese jacket! He loved that jacket!
Day 24 - Aug 31
Grandpa Ham loved to eat and he loved the fact that my mom
was just like him about food.
Day 25 - Sep 1
Grampa Ham loved his children...the things he lets my aunts
and uncles get away with are funny and would fill books, including pulling down
his shorts during a photo op...hahaha
Day 26 - Sep 2
Grandpa Ham loved his grandchildren, and like his children,
he lets us get away with a lot of stuff too. Vince H is notorious for pulling
down his pants on camera too...or his own
Day 27 - Sep 3
The memories of Grandpa Ham is numerous, but many stick out...I
still remember the surprise I got when we went to the food court and he ordered
"Donair no onion"...who knew he can order in English...it shouldn't
have surprised me since he's self educated in languages to talk to all of us
kids and grandkids!
Day 28 - Sep 4
Grandpa Ham Huynh...loved it when we carry on with Chinese
traditions but also told us to do away with practices that we have no
understanding for...a balance of tradition and the embracing of the future...
Day 29 - Sep 5
Grandpa Ham Huynh...it still makes me giggle that no matter
how old uncle Thanh Huynh is, grandpa Ham tells everyone he can't travel for
too long or who would look after uncle Thanh...hehehe
Day 30 - Sep 6
Grandpa Ham Huynh probably loved gifts more than the kids do
when it comes to birthdays and Christmas...as they say...always a kid at
heart...he definitely got a kick out of gag gifts...hehehe
Day 31 - Sep 7
Grampa Ham Huynh's memory was amazing...you can ask him the
bus schedule and he would be able to tell you without looking it up.
Day 32 - Sep 8
I think I always loved it when grandpa attempted swear...it
reminds me of my attempt to swear...almost non-existent...lol
Day 33 - Sep 9
Grandpa Ham was always up early...one winter while I was
visiting Edmonton, he actually woke me up and dragged me through the snow to
the bus stop just to get me fed...he was strutting through the snow while I was
trying really hard to keep up and not fall...hahaha...boy did I feel old,
having trouble keeping up with my grandfather...hahaha
Day 34 - Sep 10
Grandpa Ham Huynh loved food...loves it so much he travels
around the world for food...to Asia for papaya...hehehe
Day 35 - Sep 11
Grandpa Ham Huynh loved food so much, he makes my mom Tu Anh
Huynh cook food in Vancouver and bring it to Edmonton for him...the last thing
she brought him was deep fried lobster tail
Day 36 - Sep 12
As I am looking into booking myself on a cruise for a long
awaited vacation...I remember photos of my grandfather Ham Huynh taking a swim
off a boat in Asia...and of him eating freshly caught fish...always eating!
Day 37 - Sep 13
Grandpa Ham Huynh made the meanest marinate for meats...I
wonder if he ever shared the secret that was passed on to him from
grandma...uncle Thanh Huynh do you know?
Day 38 - Sep 14
While pigging out yester
Day with the Blings...I remembered that grandpa Ham Huynh
loved ice cream cake
Day 39 - Sep 15
Grandpa Ham Huynh loved to travel, he travelled as often as
possible...one of his last trips was to be with family...a trip south to visit
Phuong Lu...a trip west to visit Sue Ann Selman
Day 40 - Sep 16
Grandpa Ham is probably as bad as Julia Climie with their
carbon foot print with all the travelling around the world that they do.
Day 41 - Sep 17
Grandpa Ham Huynh enjoyed just being out and about...to the
very end you would find him and the family daily out at the mall...
Day 42 - Sep 18
Grandpa Ham Huynh...would walk around the house with just
his shorts in the summer...rubbing his tummy like Buddha
Day 43 - Sep 19
Grandpa Ham...also has the cutest toothless
smile...correction, he has 2 teeth...one on either sides of his smile...lol
Day 44 - Sep 20
Grandpa Ham Huynh loved to fold plastic grocery bags to put
it away...hahaha...the family OCD probably originated from him...lol...almost
everyone in the family folds away plastic grocery bags...
Day 45 - Sep 21
As I was enjoying some tunes yester
Day I remembered how grandpa Ham Huynh loved to listen to
music...Vietnamese music...Chinese music...and Whitney Houston...hehehe
Day 46 - Sep 22
Grandpa Ham Huynh loved to be photographed...I'm glad,
because that meant we have lots of photos of him with all of us to remember him
by! The last few years, he's loved being included in the cousin's (his
grandchidren's) outtings and group photos...because he's always one of us kids!
Day 47 - Sep 23
Grandpa Ham Huynh...always trying and striving for more and
better...I will follow his example to enjoy life to the fullest...and always
eat what I crave...hehehe
Day 48 - Sep 24
It's quite interesting to remember all that Grandpa Ham
Huynh has gone through in his 94 years...a teenager leaving the family/China
and venturing south instead of across the pacific to be part of the industrial
revolution in textiles...leaving Vietnam due to a war...coming to
Canada...returning to China to find his mother and family...great grandmother
managed to meet some of my aunts and uncles before she passed away over 100
years old (last of the foot bound ladies). The history of his life...the
changes he has seen in the world...baffling
Day 49 - Sep 25
Grandpa Ham Huynh was a very social person. Loved to chat with
everyone, especially those who can speak Chinese to him. It always brought a
smile to his face when one of my Chinese speaking friends, like Tina Lee, came
to Edmonton and paid him a visit!
