Tan Ma

Tan Ma was born in Swatow, China and took his last breath on December 30, 2025, in the comfort of his home in the city that held his heart since arriving in September 1979 - Salem, Illinois. He was surrounded by his children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren who all traveled near and far to be by his side.

As a boy, he could not have imagined the beautiful life that he would build for himself and his family. After moving to Vietnam with his parents, he went from being a young baker apprentice into an intrepid self-made entrepreneur owning two ferry shipping services. He would pass his diligent work ethic to his children who would create successful lives of their own.

By the end of the Vietnam War, he had lost his beloved wife, businesses, and homeland. He then made the heart wrenching decision to seek a better life elsewhere for his mother-in-law, children, and grandchildren. After fleeing Vietnam and subsisting in a refugee camp in Malaysia, he and his family relocated to Salem with the sponsorship of the Steinman family, Raver family, and many others in the community.

As his children grew older and moved all over the U.S. to start their own adventures, he made sure to visit them often in Texas, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Florida, and California. With his passion for travel, he visited Alaska, Australia, Greece, Italy, France, Thailand, China, Vietnam, and many other places. He enjoyed the occasional Las Vegas adventure to hear the soothing sounds of a slot machine's jackpot. He shared his love of travel with family, friends, and anyone willing to join him for an adventure.

Living in America also meant learning and becoming a fan of the best baseball team, the Chicago Cubs. He cheered them through every loss and win especially the 2016 World Series. He watched WCW and WWF diligently and whether wrestling is real or staged, he loved a good battle. He would share his hobbies with those who would cheer with him, namely his grandchildren.

He loved good food, laughter, cheer, and ensuring that those around him were happy, doing their best, and successful. His laughter was infectious and his kindness unmatched. He will be missed by all those who had the honor of knowing him. But he will be especially missed and forever remembered by his eight fantastic children, nineteen superb grandchildren, and eight precious great grandchildren.

Tan was preceded in death by his parents, Hong Co Ma and Cam Lien (Huynh) Ma; his wife, Nguyet (Ngo) Ma; mother-in-law, Thanh Ma; and eldest child, Vien Ma and daughter-in-law, Hoa Trinh and great granddaughter, Violet Hasenmyer.

He is survived by this amazing group of humans: the children of the late Vien Ma and Hoa Trinh, Ngoc Ma of Jersey City, New Jersey; Quyen Ma and Richard Hasenmyer of Austin, Texas, and their son, Augustus Hasenmyer; Hung Ma of New York City, New York; and Tiffany Ma of Houston, Texas. He is also survived by Binh Ma and Kendra Quach of Salem, Illinois, and their children, Thong and Amy Ma of Yorktown Heights, New York, and their daughters, Alexis and Elizabeth Ma, and John and Kristen Ma of Chesterfield, Missouri, and their daughter, Olivia Ma. Surviving as well are My Dung Ma and Binh Trieu of Salem, Illinois, and their children, Robert and Linya Trieu of Houston, Texas, and their son, Alexander Trieu; Richard Trieu of San Jose, California; Victoria and Billy Rawls of Ocala, Florida, and their children, Sebastian and Lillian Rawls; and Nicole Trieu and Taylor Spaulding of Houston, Texas. He is further survived by Trung Ma and Chi Lam of Carrboro, North Carolina, and their children, Brandon Ma and Sophia Ma, both of Carrboro; by Nghia Ma and his children, Brian Ma and Seulji Park of Seoul, South Korea, and their daughter, Jane Ma, and Darren Ma of Long Beach, California; by Cuong Ma and Theresa Pham of Wellington, Florida, and their son, Nicholas Ma of Baltimore, Maryland; by Hien and Michelle Ma of Delray Beach, Florida, and their daughter, Brianna Ma of Los Angeles, California; by Amanda Ma and Xuyen Tu of Houston, Texas, and their children, Audrey Tu and Ryan Cho of Houston and Ethan Tu of Houston; and by Quang and Que Huong Ma of Elk Grove, California, and their son, Andrew Nguyen Ma of Elk Grove.

There will be a visitation held at Crouse Funeral Home in Salem on Tuesday, January 6, 2026, from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. where family and friends may come and pay their respects to the Ma family. Funeral ceremonies will be held on Wednesday, January 7th at the funeral home at 9:00 a.m. with burial immediately following at East Lawn Cemetery in Salem. In keeping with the customs of the family, it is requested that no memorial contribution be made in Tan Ma's memory. Online condolences and memories can be left at www.CrouseFH.com.