Tan Duong died peacefully on February 14, 2024, at age 51, after 3 years of living with incurable cancer. Tan was surrounded by the love of friends and family during his last few weeks, and his passing leaves all of us heartbroken.

Tan had a great lust for life which included music, travel, history and science, passions of which he passed onto his children. He loved his family greatly, and was always the silly dad. He lived valiantly to the end, continuing to work and travel, and rarely complained about his illness.

Tan was born on March 4, 1972 in Saigon, Vietnam (now Ho Chi Min City), and moved to Canada in 1978, as part of the large ‘boat people’ exodus. Arriving in Ottawa (via Montreal) in the middle of the winter was a shock to a kid who had only ever experienced tropical weather, but he fit right in. Playing hockey, riding his bike and learning Tae Kwon Do, Tan had a happy upbringing with his large family. He studied architecture at Carleton University, and later honed his skills at several architectural firms in Toronto. Eventually, he opened an architectural practice focusing on school and church renovations, Harrison Duong Architects Inc, with Janet Harrison, his great love and wife.

In his spare time, Tan loved to travel, having visited dozens of countries around the world, and closer to home, travelled to all the Canadian provinces. In between naps (which he loved), he enjoyed fossil hunting, rock hounding, camping, cycling and could often be found listening and singing along to his favourite rock bands. He taught his children how to make spring rolls and lasagna, and always looked for ways to learn more together with his kids. His life was filled with adventure, hard work and lots of fun. He was a lovable husband, father, son, brother, uncle, son-in law, brother-in-law and friend.

Tan leaves us, pre-deceased by his parents, Tai and Duong. He is survived by his wife, Janet, children Naomi and Hugo, sisters Yung, Lan, Mai and Cuc, several nieces and nephews, and many other loving extended family members.

Tan was a quiet yet bright light on the lives around him. Words cannot describe our loss, but there is much joy in remembering our time together.

A celebration of life will be held on February 22, 2024 at Mount Pleasant Funeral Centre in Toronto. Visitation will take place between 1-2pm, with the Celebration of Life starting at 2pm. A reception will immediately follow. Flowers are welcome, but please consider instead a donation to the Canadian Cancer Society or the Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation.