Keohane Funeral Home

Kimberly (Jackson) Tran, of Quincy, Massachusetts, passed away at her home, surrounded by her family and friends on November 11, 2018, after a long and difficult journey with breast cancer. She had just turned 40.

Born in Maryville, Tennessee, Kim grew up in Milan, Michigan, and was the youngest of the three daughters of Michael and Carol (Hart) Jackson, both of Milan, Michigan. She attended elementary and high school in Milan, and graduated from Eastern Michigan University in 2001 with a Bachelor of Business Administration (B.B.A.) degree, majoring in international business.

After college, Kim independently made the spirited decision to move from rural Michigan to Boston. Although she appreciated the quiet country from which she was raised and cherished her mid-western values, she also had a yearning for the opportunity, culture, and adventure that the east coast offered. She quickly settled in and has made the Boston area her home for the past 16 years.

In Boston, Kim established a successful career in the booming biotechnology industry, progressing rapidly up the ranks from rebate analyst to pharma-contracts manager at a number of prominent biotech companies, including Genzyme, Vertex Pharmaceuticals, EMD Serono, and Biogen. At each place that she worked, Kim’s kindness, sincerity, and congenial style won her many lasting friendships as she was loved by all who worked with her. Being a true lover of learning, Kim would also go on to earn a Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) degree, with a concentration in international business, from Northeastern University in 2009.

Kim was one of the nicest most genuine people anyone could meet. She was generous, gracious, selfless, sincere, and compassionate. She valued honesty, kindness, humility, and social justice. She often went out of her way to help others expecting nothing in return. Kim was always quick to smile and had a good sense of humor. She was eternally hopeful and strived to continuously better her life. Kim’s determination, independence, and strength of will to live the best life she could shone through even to the very end of her life.

Kim’s Christian faith and spirituality were very important to her and had an important role in who she was as a person. As an adult, she sought others who shared similar strength of spirit and moral code. She later converted to Roman Catholicism and was proud of her faith. She modeled her life around the pillars of the three theological virtues: faith, hope, and love. An active volunteer over the years, Kim liked to give back to the community and was a regular volunteer at the churches she attended, particularly St. Anthony’s Shrine in Boston. She would often contribute to and encourage her family and friends to participate in the many worthwhile causes for the greater good.

Kim loved to travel and discover new places. She liked finding quaint, cute, awesome, and unique corners of the world and imagining herself and her family living there. Some of her favorite places to visit and explore were Paris, Napa Valley, Toyko, Santa Barbara, and Quebec City. In the later years, even as her health started to diminish, she would still encourage her family and friends to take trips with her around town, so to keep active. Kim was always up for an adventure, big or small, local or international.

Kim had a keen eye for design and fashion. She always dressed and carried herself well. She was confident, elegant, and chic, but never flashy. She appreciated the finer things in life and sought them out. Her style was for the warm, the cozy, the delicate, and the graceful. She liked modern refinement, simplicity, clean lines, thoughtful organization, and harmony. She loved soft pinks, light purples, warm whites, pale blues, and bold gold colors. Cherry blossoms where one of her favorite designs. In her spare time, Kim also enjoyed baking and cooking. She loved trying new recipes and creating unique dishes with her husband and son. One of her favorite dishes was Vietnamese Pho Noodle Soup, which she asked for and enjoyed often.

Kim leaves behind her beloved and devoted husband, Long Tran. They met at a mutual friend’s birthday party in Boston and their beautiful relationship quickly blossomed. A little over a year later, they were married on July 7, 2012, at St. Paul’s Church in Harvard Square, Cambridge. Kim and Long have shared six loving years of marriage and affectionately refer to each other “KBA” and “KBB”, respectively.

Kim also leaves behind her dearest four year old son, Max Tran, whom she loved more than anything in the world. Kim was an amazing, loving, fun, and devoted mom who always kept Max very close to her heart. Kim is also survived by her parents as well as her oldest sister Jennifer (Jackson) Glushyn of Manchester, Michigan, and many extended family. She also leaves a tremendous group of wonderful friends that will miss her very much.

Kim will be greatly missed and eternally loved by all that were lucky enough to know her.

Relatives and friends are respectfully invited to attend the visiting hours on Sunday, November 18th from 4 through 8 PM in the Keohane Funeral Home, 785 Hancock Street, QUINCY.

A Celebration of Life Service will be held in the funeral home at 9 AM on Monday, November 19th prior to the Funeral Mass in Sacred Heart Church, Quincy at 10 AM.

Services will conclude with interment in Blue Hill Cemetery, Braintree.