Mrs. Lisa Qui Thi Tran, 63, Lenexa, KS, passed away August 28, 2013. Visitation & Prayers will be 6-8 p.m. Thursday, September 5, and 6-8 p.m. Friday, September 6, at Passantino Bros. Funeral Home, 2117 Independence Blvd., Kansas City, MO 64124. The Mass of Christian Burial will be 10 a.m. Saturday, September 7, at Church of the Holy Martyrs (Catholic), 7801 Paseo, Kansas City, MO 64131. Burial will follow in Resurrection Cemetery, Lenexa, KS.

Qui Thi Tran (Lisa) was born on February 8, 1950 in Vietnam. She married her husband, Quy, at age 17 and bore a beautiful group of five children over the years. Her life in Vietnam was during the time of communism, war, and difficulties. She wanted her children to have a better meaningful life so she planned an escape to America, there lies freedom and vast opportunities. In order to do so, she worked hard, day and night, preparing and selling bun rieu (noodle soup) for over ten years to save enough money for the whole family's escape. Through much life threatening obstacles at sea and being forced to be separated from her family, they were finally reunited and landed in America in 1986.

What can a woman and her husband do who did not know the language and a new country while taking care of five children? They could only look for food and clothes through scraps and trash cans; find a labor job, work at restaurants, clean toilets and dishes. Nothing mattered more than surviving and caring for their children. Through twenty seven years of various hard work, her children had grown up to be wonderful people and she had more to give than ever before. Lisa always told her children to be determined, tolerate the hardships, and value what you have. We've come a long way and it wasn't easy.

In July of 2010, Lisa was then told by her doctor that she had lung cancer. It had been three years since then and she fought and fought, through four chemotherapy sessions, withstanding multiple biopsies, losing all her hair, enduring all the fevers, infections, numbness and pain, she held it all in and displayed a bold and unwavering image in front of her husband, children, relatives, and friends. However many obstacles that God had tested her, nothing could break her strong will. No matter what the difficulties she was facing, she faced it with a smile.

At the age of 63, Lisa left this life on August 28, 2013 at 5:43 p.m. God has taken her by his side and may she be remembered by her everlasting love and legacy.