It is with profound sorrow and immense love that we mourn the sudden passing of Leslee ThuyVi Nguyen, 31 on March 19, 2025 at Stanford Hospital from a severe brain bleed. She was born May 26, 1993 in Monterey, California, the first child and daughter to Kent Nguyen and Tuyen Vu.

Leslee is survived by her grandfather, Hung Nguyen, loving parents Kent Nguyen and Tuyen Vu, life partner Brandon Burton, her cherished, Irish-twin brother Kevin, and many loving aunts, uncles, cousins, and extended family. Her memory lives on in their lives and in the lives she has saved through her gift for organ donation. 

An eager learner, she graduated from Marina High School as a valedictorian and sought greater achievements in higher education. She graduated on the Dean's Honors List from UC Santa Cruz with her B.S. in Neuroscience, and was in the 5th year of her Ph.D in Biochemistry at Stanford University.

Her brilliance shone even brighter outside of academics. She will be remembered as a bubbly, gracious, and resilient woman who always took time out of her exceptionally busy schedule to make sure her loved ones were cared for. She had a knack for making anybody feel comfortable opening up to her. A warm and inviting soul, Leslee’s compassion was bountiful, her smile made every situation brighter, and she was as infectious as she was beautiful. 

Leslee had a desire to see the world and loved to take trips as often as she could. Her travels included Japan, Denmark, Korea, Spain, Portugal, Hawai’i, England, Singapore, France, and Sweden. She loved arts and crafts. You could always count on her sharing something she grew, knit, sculpted, painted, baked, or drew with those around her. Leslee was well-known for her homemade sourdough and banana bread. Some of her greatest joys came from being in nature, as she loved to spend time listening to the waves at the beach, or hiking in the redwoods. Leslee was an avid snowboarder and she felt most free on the mountain, always seeking the next opportunity to take a day trip to Kirkwood or Heavenly.

In lieu of flowers, please donate in Leslee’s loving memory to the Association for Women in Science or St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital. These organizations work to further research and advocacy for others, just as Leslee had in her time with us.  

• Association for Women in Science: https://awis.org/  - https://www.classy.org/give/390666/#!/donation/checkout
• St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital: https://www.stjude.org/donate/donate-to-st-jude.html 

We will forever miss you and remember all the moments you have touched our lives. 

“Thoughts are only thoughts. They are not you, you belong to yourself even when your thoughts don't”.

-John Green, Turtles All The Way Down