Luan Le of Mount Dora, Florida, passed away on Wednesday, April 27th, 2022 at the age of 78. She was the beloved wife of the late Kiet Le. She is survived by her three daughters Diem-Trang Tu (Don), Thao Hoang (Dai), and Phuong Truc Le (Chris). Luan was also a loving grandmother to her six grandchildren.
Luan was born in a small rice farming village in Vietnam on June 26th, 1943. She married a big city charmer, Kiet Le, on October 5, 1969. They had three children. In 1981 Luan and Kiet, along with their daughters, escaped Vietnam by boat. After months in refugee camps they arrived in Miami. Luan worked day and night as a seamstress, a skill she learned from her mother.
Luan was first and foremost a caretaker. One of the ways she cared was to cook a meal. In return the best compliment she could receive was the willingness of her loved ones to have seconds. All family gatherings were centered around the table which was always filled with her food. Often she’d start on lunch as soon as breakfast was done and dinner before lunch was over. She was in her best element when her children and grandchildren gathered for holidays and events. No one left hungry, even the pickiest of eaters had their own meal custom made.
Luan’s idea of a good time was gardening and keeping her husband on his toes. She could revive almost any plant (especially ones neglected by her daughters). She had an amazing gift for growing herbs, all of which she felt pressured to consume so as not to waste her hard work. Her meals were often determined by what she was growing in abundance at the time. So when Kiet voiced that he was tired of spinach soup her response was to grow more spinach. Her green thumb was only rivaled by her skill at pushing Kiet’s buttons. Sometimes it was sport and others a necessary skill. During their long drive to Canada from Florida she picked numerous fights for the purpose of keeping him awake.
Luan and Kiet found comfort and camaraderie in the Vietnamese community in the US. They travelled the world together through Vietnamese guided tours and on every trip they acquired more friends connected to their precious homeland.
Her greatest joys were her grandchildren. Luan rushed to be with each grandchild on the day of their birth and helped raise each of her 6 living grandchildren. She was actively involved in their development and took pride in all of their achievements.
Luan was a devout Buddhist. In lieu of flowers donations may be made in her memory of Bao An Buddhist Temple, 5788 N. Apopka Vineland Rd., Orlando, FL 32818.
Buddhist Ceremonial Rites for Luan will begin at 10:00 AM at the Harden-Pauli Funeral Home Chapel, Eustis on Saturday, May 14th, 2022.
