December 17, 1928 — September 18, 2021
Kumiko Serizawa, born on December 17, 1928, in Tokyo, passed away on September 18, 2021, at the age of 92. She was a beloved wife, mother, and grandmother. She loved plants and gardening, animals and deployed her love of art into a career as a professional Japanese doll-maker and instructor. As a dollmaker, she exhibited her work for many years in the annual Nisei Week Festival in downtown Los Angeles and at the San Fernando Valley Japanese American Community Center’s annual Obon festival.
She also fostered Japanese culture by showing her work at Disneyland’s annual Japan Festival for a decade and at the Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History. She was respected by her peers and loved by her students.
She is survived by her husband, Soroku Frank Serizawa; daughters, Naomi Serizawa and Patty Serizawa Gaffney; granddaughter, Gabrielle Mika Gaffney; sons-in-law, David Horton and Arnie Gaffney; and sister-in-law, Mutsuko Serizawa in Japan.
A private funeral service was held at Fukui Mortuary in downtown Los Angeles, officiated by Rev. Ryoko Miyazaki of Zenshuji Soto Mission on September 29.
www.fukuimortuary.com (213) 626-0441