Khoi Trong "Kenny" Vu

Khoi Trong (Kenny) Vu of Middletown, NJ, passed away peacefully with his beloved family at his bedside on March 16, 2021. Throughout his life across three continents, Kenny witnessed and survived many social and personal upheavals—and confronted all of them with courage and tenacity, down to his final battle with ALS. His enthusiasm, boundless energy, contagious optimism, and compassionate generosity touched all those who met him, especially the many devoted friends and family members who will never forget his loyalty, companionship, and unique outlook and musings on life. An original and fearless personality, he craved above all adventure and novelty, from skydiving and motorcycle riding to skiing, snowboarding, catamaran racing, and windsurfing in Sandy Hook Bay, one of his favorite places. Kenny was born on March 30, 1943, in Hanoi, Vietnam, the son of the late Phan Van Vu and Ninh Thi La. He came to the U.S. to attend college, graduating in 1966 from Cornell University with a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering, and in 1967 from the University of Michigan with a Master’s degree in engineering. After returning to Vietnam, Kenny became a professor at the Phu Tho Institute of Technologies, and in 1969 founded Tieu Long Engineering Consulting Services, which he managed until the fall of Saigon in 1975. It was in Saigon that he met his wife, Quynh Nga (Jennie) Ton Nu. After the fall of Saigon, Kenny and his wife escaped by boat to Malaysia and eventually settled in Gothenburg, Sweden, where he worked for Scandia Consult, a Swedish engineering consulting firm, and also served as an interpreter for Vietnamese refugees. He moved with his family in 1982 to New Jersey, where he spent more than three decades working at Bell Labs in Holmdel, and Avaya and AT&T in Middletown, among other companies, until his retirement in 2017. For many years, he found great joy in socializing at the Appalachian Mountain Club and the Sandy Hook Bay Catamaran Club in Atlantic Highlands. He also loved spending time watching sunrises and sunsets from his bayshore home, which was decorated with his cherished collection of ceramic frogs, seagulls, and pelicans. Kenny is survived by his wife, Jennie Vu (née Quynh Nga Ton Nu); his daughters, Mimi Van Dao Vu and Mai Quynh Vu; his sons-in-law, Stephen Male and Evan Tyler; his granddaughter, Pearl, and grandson, Oscar; his brothers Phat Manh Vu and Vinh Thanh Vu; and sister Nguyet Ha Vu. Kenny was pre-deceased by his brothers Hung The (Christopher) Vu, Nhat Thang Vu, and Qui Thinh Vu. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in Kenny’s honor in support of Joan Dancy & PALS Foundation or Natural Resources Defense Council.