Tran Thi Phuoc Ly, translator of Peacemaker Ministries materials used by Vietnam Mennonite Church and other groups, died from a COVID-19 infection Sept. 3 in Ho Chi Minh City. She was 81.

She worked with Eastern Mennonite Missions from 2008 to 2018, serving as translator and interpreter in training Vietnam Mennonite Church leaders.

Phuoc Ly interpreted Anabaptism training courses led by Palmer Becker. Becker said she translated study materials and interpreted as he led workshops and was a valued partner in establishing the church in Vietnam.

She was active with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship in the 1960s and ’70s, often serving as interpreter for missionaries and teachers. When demand for learning English increased in the 1990s, Phuoc Ly returned to teaching, serving as a foreign language lecturer at the Open University in Ho Chi Minh City. She later gave all her time to preparing Christian publications and interpreting in short-term training programs, serving as professor of English at the ECVN Biblical Theological Seminary, and interpreting for the theological training program of Vietnam Mennonite Church.

Phuoc Ly translated many books used by the Mennonite Church, including What Is an Anabaptist Christian? by Palmer Becker, What We Believe Together by Alfred Neufeld, The Bible as Story: An Introduction to Biblical Literature by Marion G. Bontrager, Michele Hersberger and John E. Sharp, and Anabaptist Essentials: Ten Signs of a Unique Christian Faith by Palmer Becker.