Ly Tran Bach, 68, Winfield, Kansas, passed away Sunday, December 1st, 2024, at Cumbernauld Village.

Born May 10, 1956, in Vietnam, she was the daughter of Tran Van Nhi and Nguyen Thi Thanh. In 1978, Ly married her husband, Anh Van Bach and shortly afterwards had their first son, Huong Van Bach.  Ly, Anh, and their newborn son fled war-torn Vietnam in 1980 and found refuge in Hong Kong after nearly a week of a harrowing boat ride escaping and evading communist capture, pirates, and starvation.

One night, a violent storm surged, and water poured through cracks in the hull. Panic erupted as men, women, and children scrambled to bail out water using whatever they could—buckets, hands, even clothing. Fighting to keep the rickety boat afloat, Ly, Anh and Huong made it to the distant shores of Hong Kong where Ly would give birth to her second son, Tuan Thanh Bach in 1981.  They awaited American bureaucracy to approve admission into the United States while living in a cramped immigration detention center.  Finally, after 2 years of uncertainty, Ly and her growing family were granted refugee status with a chance to start anew in Long Beach, California. They boarded a flight leaving Asia with little more than resilience and a determination for a better future and to rebuild their lives from scratch in a foreign yet promising land.

Ly's third and fourth sons, Hai Long Bach and Johnson Bach were born in Long Beach, California in 1982 and 1985, respectively.  In Long Beach, Ly found work as a seamstress for a variety of garment companies.  Skilled with her hands and unafraid of long hours, she worked diligently to help provide for her family.  However, as the years passed, the rising cost of living and her growing concern for her family's future weighed heavily on her.  Seeking a more affordable and stable life, Ly's family moved to Winfield, Kansas in 1997.  In Winfield, she found work at the Rubbermaid Factory in 1999, where her work ethic and adaptability once again shone.  Ly viewed the physically demanding work as an opportunity to provide a better life for her loved ones, a duty she would continue to carry out with dedication until May of 2018, when she retired.

Ly will be remembered as a dedicated wife and mother of four: husband Anh Bach of Winfield; her first son Huong Bach of Long Beach California; her second son Tuan Bach and wife, Emily of Wichita; third son Hai Bach and wife, Samantha of Winfield; and fourth son Johnson Bach of Washington DC.  She is also survived by her seven grandchildren in the United States and four siblings in Vietnam: sisters Tran Thi Nang and Tran Thi Thanh; brothers Tran Van Nay and Tran Van Thai.

Funeral services will be held on Saturday, December 7, 2024, at 1:00 p.m. at Miles Funeral Service.

Services will be livestreamed and may viewed at the following link: