Colleagues of the woman who died after a high-speed chase claimed her life said they were devastated to learn of her death.
Police said an undercover narcotics operation led to the chase. The suspect drove through a red light, crashing into the car that Nancy Tran, 54, was driving, according to LPD. Tran died at the scene.
Tran was a cook in the cafeteria at Covenant Women and Children’s Hospital for more than 15 years.
“It’s just really sad that her life got taken away that way,” said her supervisor Joy Quigley. “Everybody is still kind of like in shock about the whole thing.”
“She was a really great person. She was fun, she was always laughing. Telling jokes, and just keeping everybody in good spirits in the kitchen,” Quigley said.
Tran, who referred to Quigley as “Mama Joy,” would regularly tell stories about her family to everyone in the kitchen.
“We get to know each other’s families, I know her children,” Quigley explained. “It’s like losing one of your family members. It just kind of ripped our hearts out.”
“We’d always have a potluck lunch and she would cook us egg rolls, and noodles, and all kinds of Vietnamese food. That was always enjoyable,” Quigley said.
“Our family at Covenant Health is saddened by the death of our long-time employee, Nancy Tran,” said Kelly McDaniel, vice president for support services at Covenant Health in a statement. “For nearly 16 years, Nancy has been an integral part of our Food and Nutrition Department at Women’s and Children’s. Our thoughts and certainly our prayers go out to her family and friends, as well as her Covenant family, during this tragic time.”
“We’re going to miss her, because we all loved her,” Quigley added.
Tran’s husband of 15 years said he planned to keep his wife’s knitting needles, potted plants and the cup of tea that she left on the coffee table before she left the house for the last time.
