Cathy Naomi Tanaka, a member of the Fukui household enterprise who was actively concerned in neighborhood causes, handed away peacefully in her sleep at her house in Hacienda Heights on March 1. She was 73.
Cathy Tanaka (Toyo Miyatake Studio)
Tanaka was born in Tokyo on July 30, 1949, throughout the U.S. occupation of Japan, to Soichi and Ruth Fukui. As an toddler, she moved along with her household to the U.S. and settled in Los Angeles. In July 1951, her sister, Chris, was born and 1½ years later, her brother, Jerry.
Round age 10, Tanaka moved along with her household to Windsor Hills, the place she and her siblings spent the rest of their childhood. She graduated from Dorsey Excessive College in 1968 and studied at UCLA, majoring in French. After commencement, she spent an prolonged time frame in Japan to review Japanese language and tradition.
In 1979, Tanaka continued her father’s legacy by becoming a member of him and her brother at Fukui Mortuary as secretary and treasurer. A fourth-generation member on the household enterprise, she additionally turned a licensed funeral director and preneed counselor. She continued working on the mortuary till her dying.
In 1978, she married the love of her life, Masaru Tanaka. They moved to Hacienda Heights and their household grew by two after they welcomed their sons, Eric in 1980 and Ryan in 1986. She liked supporting her youngsters of their hobbies and actions, significantly basketball. Her household continued to increase in 2012 when Eric married her daughter-in-law Traci, and when Ryan turned a father to her first grandchild, Shay, in 2015. In 2018, she was blessed with two extra grandsons, twins Connor and Mason.
She completely adored her grandchildren and liked spending time enjoying, studying books, and playing around with them. Considered one of her most cherished achievements was being a grandmother.
Tanaka was devoted to the neighborhood and was concerned with a number of organizations, together with the Army Intelligence Service Affiliation of Southern California, Nationwide Japanese American Veterans Council, Go For Broke Nationwide Training Middle, Nisei Veterans Coordinating Council, and Grateful Crane Ensemble.
The workers, administrators, and supporters of GFBNEC mourned Tanaka’s passing. “Cathy was a lot greater than a member of the board,” stated GFBNEC President Mitchell Maki. “She was a buddy to so many people; and an inspiration to all. She demonstrated what it meant to be form and heat, whereas on the identical time working onerous for what you consider in. We’ll miss her dearly.”
The Grateful Crane Ensemble stated in a press release, “We have been saddened to listen to in regards to the sudden passing of Cathy Tanaka, our longtime buddy, Grateful Crane board member and primary dish washer at our Far East Feasts and obento gross sales.
“She was really a type of ‘behind the scenes’ gamers who’re the MVPs of each group they’re devoted to. They don’t search the limelight or the glory, however they do all of the work. That was Cathy for us, and all of the organizations she was concerned with. We’ll miss her kindness, her heat and welcoming smile and her beneficiant spirit.
“We’re grateful to have identified her, and thank her for every thing she has accomplished for us and our neighborhood.”
Cathy Tanaka and Archie Miyatake supported the making of the documentary “The Manzanar Fishing Membership.” (Photograph courtesy Cory Shiozaki)
Filmmaker Cory Shiozaki posted a photograph of Tanaka with the late photographer Archie Miyatake, noting that each supported his documentary “The Manzanar Fishing Membership.” “Cathy will likely be tremendously missed for her committment to the Go For Broke Nationwide Training Middle. We’ll miss her vitality, spirit and smile,” Shiozaki stated.
Tommy Dyo, Tanaka’s cousin, posted, “Cathy was deeply concerned in the neighborhood to protect Japanese American tales from our previous and retell them to new generations. She served our neighborhood with pleasure, compassion, and generosity. She liked her neighborhood, mates, household, however particularly her sons Eric and Ryan, and husband Masaru.
“Though she expressed her spirituality in her later years along with her loving husband on the Buddhist church, her roots have been within the Christian religion. We maintain on to the guarantees in Scripture: ‘I give them everlasting life, they usually shall by no means perish; nobody can snatch them out of my hand.’ — John 10:28.
“Her kindness is mirrored in all she did.”
Tanaka was additionally obsessed with artwork and liked enjoying the piano and organ, “paint and sip” wine nights, floral design, drawing, jewelry-making, musicals, and dancing. She liked animals and through the years, cared for a myriad of pets, together with her beloved golden retrievers, a parrot, and fish. When she wasn’t with household or collaborating in one in all her many hobbies, she was catching up and spending time along with her many teams of mates.
She had been tremendously trying ahead to visiting kin and assembly her new daughter-in-law in Hiroshima this month; sadly, her long-awaited journey with Masaru didn’t come to fruition.
She is survived by her husband, Masaru Tanaka; youngsters, Eric (Traci) and Ryan (Aya) Tanaka; grandchildren, Connor and Mason Tanaka, and Shay Tanaka; siblings, Chris (Kenny) Kohler and Jerry Fukui; niece, Sarah Fukui; nephews, Cary Fukui, and Kevin and Sean Kohler; she can also be survived by different kin right here and in Japan.
Visitation was held on March 12 at Fukui Mortuary. A personal memorial service will likely be held at Nishi Hongwanji at a later date.