Vu Nguyen

Vu Nguyen 1975-2009 Vu Nguyen -- husband, son, brother, friend and journalist -- died on May 16, 2009 in Harbor City, California at the young age of 34. Five days earlier, Vu collapsed from a heart attack while playing soccer with friends in Santa Monica. Vu was loved by his wife and family, admired by friends and colleagues for his outlook on life and respected by journalists for his reporting skill. Born February 20, 1975 in Saigon, his fa mily fled two months later as the city was under siege by the Northern Vietnamese army. His family settled in Orange County. Vu was raised in Garden Grove and graduated from Rancho Alamitos High in 1993. He attended California State University, Fullerton, where he obtained a bachelor's degree in communications. He received his master's degree in public affairs reporting from the University of Illinois at Springfield. Vu worked for the OC Weekly, The Seattle Times, The Orange County Register, The Associated Press, Yakima Herald-Republic, Nguoi Viet 2 and, for the last nine months, The Daily Breeze. He is survived by his wife of six months, Heather Hua; parents, Chuyen and Thuy Nguyen; and brother, Viet Nguyen. A viewing will be held from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday, May 24 at Melrose Abbey Memorial Park and Mortuary, 2303 South Manchester Ave, Anaheim, CA 92802. Funeral services will be at 10 a.m. Monday, May 25 at St. Callistus Parish, 12921 Lewis St., Garden Grove CA 92840. An 11 a.m. procession will follow t o The Garden Crematory, 1835 S. Lewis St., Anaheim, CA 92805.