Meet Your Neighbors: Van & Krystal Than

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Back in July when we interviewed the Than family about Tommy’s Lawn Care,¹ the story was about the young man behind that company, but it was clear that we would want to learn more about his parents too. The Thans (pronouncing Than with a silent h like “ton,” not like the th in then) have a fascinating history. I met with them in their beautiful home on a sunny afternoon, and after accepting their gracious offer of a cold drink and a Vietnamese egg roll, tried to remember not to talk with my mouth full. Interview by Bruce McDonald.

Bruce: To get started, we always like to find out how long you’ve lived here in Southern Gables, and what brought you here. 

Krystal: We’ve been here for two years this month. We were in Littleton for 15 years before that. Van: I grew up in the Littleton-Englewood area, and that was the best place for us to make our home because of family connections. My mother and sister live there, and Krystal and I were both working long hours in our professions. Our jobs were very intense. Having family childcare was very important to us. Culturally speaking, there is a strong tradition of grandmothers taking a big part in child raising. 

Looking back to before Littleton, what was it about that area that brought your family there?  Van: My family came to the US as refugees after the fall of Saigon. We were sponsored and supported to get a start in this country by the parishioners of St. Frances Cabrini Church in Littleton. That was the end of a long process of getting here. I was one year old when we came over so the story is one I’ve been told rather than what I can remember. Three days before the final evacuation of the Saigon Embassy, my uncles and dad took the women and children to a US military ship. They then returned to continue the war efforts for three more days. When the South Vietnamese Army was dispersed he escaped and joined us at a refugee camp in Guam. I don’t know how long we were in the camp but we were finally relocated to Colorado. I don’t know if my parents had any say in choosing the place, but when we got here it was the good people of St. Frances Cabrini that helped us get started. They were so good to us. It must have been hard for your parents, even with that help, making their way in such a different culture. Yes, but they worked hard, and the extended family worked together to make the most of it. My parents started small businesses and built them up with hard work. They owned a jewelry store and a restaurant, growing and changing with the times. Krystal: For my part of the story, my twin sister and I were born in a small mountain town in South Korea and we were placed in an orphanage. We were adopted by an American couple in the mid-1980s who lived here, so I was raised as a Colorado girl. I grew up in Thornton. 

It seems pretty fortunate that such different paths brought you together here, so far away from where you were born. Krystal: Yes, and now we have an all-American boy! 

It sounds like you were very well situated in Littleton, with so much family support – what motivated the move to our neighborhood here in Southern Gables?  Krystal: We weren’t really looking for a move, but when we saw this house we knew it was a place where we could plan to stay indefinitely. We love the location since it’s so close to the mountains and the city. Van: With the large extended family we have, this house is perfect for big gatherings and celebrations when our relatives get together. Another good thing we appreciate about Lakewood is how many small businesses there are, where we can get to know the people we deal with. You could say we’re a foodie family in that we really enjoy trying new foods and restaurants. We like small places like The Spot for boba and Big Sky, with the new owner there. And over at the Molly Brown Summer House, the new café they are starting up is fantastic. The owner of the café is named Prince, from Rwanda and his chef is Miss Chrissy, who has worked with the Molly Brown Summer House owner for years. Any others?  Van: Sure, Magill’s! There are lots of ethnic markets too, not just in Lakewood but all over the metro area and we make the rounds of those too. Supporting our local small businesses is something that makes the whole community a better place to live. No one gets anywhere without community.   

I agree with that, of course. It’s a big part of what makes living in Southern Gables so special. Tell me, what are some other things you like about living here?  Van: It’s the neighbors, for sure! When we first moved in we were made to feel so welcome by all the neighbors around. We first got to know Roger and Irene across the street, and they were so incredibly helpful  and engaging. Wendy and Dave next door brought over holiday cookies. Every Halloween a bunch of dads go out trick-or-treating with the kids, making a roving adult street party while the kids go up to the doors. 

How about your work, and how you spend your leisure time? Krystal: I have been in HR for over two decades, doing executive coaching and counseling. It’s challenging work, with rules and expectations constantly changing. Van: I worked in corporate finance until recently, when I started my own business in air balancing, 303 Precision Airflow. Air balancing…?  Yes, both industrial and residential. Making heating and air cooling systems more efficient to save energy. It’s something that’s getting more and more important for businesses, to remain competitive in today’s changing economy. And for homes too, mostly working in coordination with HVAC companies like our neighbor Matt’s company Vectra Mechanical. 

And leisure, recreation? Krystal: We like camping, mostly with family. We’ve had big camp-outs at Lake McConaughy that have grown to be like international food festivals on the beach, with each family trying to outshine the others. We do volunteer work for several groups and causes… Van: It was Krystal who taught me, by example, about the value of doing volunteer work. It’s something I had to learn, since it wasn’t really a part of the value system I was taught growing up. It’s a rewarding thing to learn, isn’t it? Volunteer effort is a big part of what makes our Neighborhood Association here in Southern Gables a success too. The good that’s done by volunteers at the churches, the schools, Joy’s Kitchen, the Action Center and in lots of other ways helps the volunteers themselves as well as the recipients. 

In closing, will you give us a parting thought? A quote or saying that’s important to you? 

Krystal: OK, yes. This is my own personal quote I have used in coaching others as a guideline in my work, and it helps in daily life: “Change is an open invitation to reinvent yourself. It allows you to become a better version of yourself.“

Van said to wait a minute, and got up to retrieve a poster from the other room. He gave it to me and said, “This is my quote.” 

It’s not every day I get a lesson from a master, but even as a second-hand lesson, it seemed like a good one to take to heart. 

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