Ms. Linda Bui

Linda Bui, age 30, died May 1, 2019 in Dracut, MA following a year long struggle with mental illness. Linda was born January 16, 1989, 12 minutes preceding her identical twin sister, Sandy, to her mother, Tuyet Thi Nguyen, and her father, Dam Bui, in Dorchester, Massachusetts. She was baptized at St. Peter’s Catholic Church. She attended Mather Elementary School, Gavin Middle School, and graduated from Excel High School in 2008. She attended one year at UMass Boston, and also received Medical Assistant training from Everett Institute in 2010, and beginning EMT training from Avera McKennon School of Emergency Services in Sioux Falls. She worked for a year as a pharmacy cashier at Dorchester House.

She moved to Sioux Falls, South Dakota to live with a family friend (Sarah Alexander) in 2012, where she worked at Walmart as a cashier, Grand Falls Casino as a dealer, Raven Industries and Electronic Systems, Inc as an assembler until April 2019. She had many friends in Sioux Falls, and a six-year relationship with her boyfriend, Jay Kilbride. She attended Catholic Mass regularly at the Cathedral of St. Joseph, and developed close relationships with several parishioners there.

Linda loved photography, capturing flowers, food, deer, and incredible nature scenes in South Dakota. She loved her car, and the freedom and independence it gave her. She decorated her different apartments with dream catchers, an extensive doll collection, stuffed animals, and religious sayings that resonated with her calm spirit. She loved dancing with friends at Bucks, going to the Zombie walk in Sioux Falls, or spending time at Falls Park. She adored her coloring books and her cat, Luna.

Linda was a loving, caring daughter to her mother, Tuyet, always making sure she had a place to sit and accompanying her to shop or go to a medical appointment in the community. She was a quiet and dependable support to her sisters. When her twin Sandy gave birth to her niece Jasmine, she spent hours with Jasmine as a baby, playing classical music on her phone to support Jasmine’s brain development. Every trip home she had special presents for Jasmine and her second niece Bella. When her younger sister Mary graduated from college, Linda flew to Massachusetts to attend and rented a car to be sure her mother could also attend the graduation. She readily offered a supportive ear and caring words to her sisters and friends when they needed help. She accompanied Sarah when she needed a medical procedure done, helped her build a raised garden bed, painted rooms, and calmed her down when she was upset over a political issue. She would buy streamers and flowers to celebrate many people’s birthdays.

Many of her friends had small children in Sioux Falls, and she would always spend time with those children, purchasing joyfully wrapped gifts for them on their birthdays. She wanted to listen and be with her friends when they were having a hard time. She supported Jane Alexander at the death and funeral of her husband Mark Johnson and helped to do the work around memorializing him.

Linda struggled with some mental health difficulties in the last year that were hard to understand. She hated to accept help from anyone, and that included taking medicine that might help her. Even as a child she often would tough out headaches and other pain, refusing aspirin or Tylenol. Sadly the illness in the last year of her life was a very dangerous and uncomfortable disease that she was enduring. On May 1 she ended her own life, to the shock and sorrow of all those around her.

Linda is survived by her mother, Tuyet Nguyen, her siblings Thanh Nguyen, Cindy Nguyen (Mike Lopez) Sandy Bui (Ut Nguyen), Mary Bui, and her nieces, Jasmine Bui, and Bella Giambaresi, as well as Linda’s boyfriend, Jay Kilbride of Sioux Falls, and many, many close friends in Sioux Falls and Dorchester.

Visitation will be held on Tuesday, May 7, from 5:00--9:00 at the McHoul Funeral Home, 354 Adams Street.

Donations can be sent to the Linda Bui Memorial Fund c/o McHoul’s Funeral Home, 354 Adams Street, Dorchester, MA 02122.