Masumi Mary Nagatomi, daughter of Nobuichi and Tsune Kimura, died unexpectedly at home on Aug. 31. She is survived by her three daughters and their families; Aki, Kiyo and her husband Bruce Shimizu, Aya and her husband David Windle; five grandchildren, Matthew, Emma and Tessa, Masatoshi and Yoshitaka; her brother, Shizuyo and his wife, Keiko Kimura; sisters-in-law, Sawae Kimura and Shirli and her husband, Masayuki Okabe; and many beloved nieces and nephews. She was born on Nov. 1, 1931 in Madera, Calif. where she lived until her family was relocated to Utah when she was 11. The family returned to the Central Valley after the war to a farm in Parlier and then with the help of her brothers Masanobu and Shizuyo, the family farm expanded to Kingsburg, Calif.
Masumi married Masatoshi Nagatomi on Sept. 1, 1956 and they made their home in Cambridge, Massachusetts where Masatoshi pursued his teaching career at Harvard University and Masumi concentrated on raising her daughters, cultivating a beautiful garden and participating in community events. Later she returned to the workplace in a variety of ways and especially enjoyed her work at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts with exhibition designer Tom Wong. In retirement Masumi took classes at and eventually joined the Lexington Arts and Crafts Society where she honed her silversmithing skills and made many friends.
Masumi’s true gift was her ability to share her smile and her love of nature. Her garden was her way of sharing her love with friends and family, neighbors and passersby. A memorial will be held Sept. 18, at 10:30 a.m. at the Parlier Buddhist Church, 360 South, Newmark Avenue, Parlier, CA 93648. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to the Nagatomi Library Fund at the Institute for Buddhist Studies, 2140 Durant Avenue, Suite 30, Berkeley, CA 94704; or the Lexington Arts and Crafts Society in memory of Masumi Nagatomi, 130 Waltham Street, Lexington, MA 02421; or Maude Morgan Arts, 20A Sacramento St., Cambridge, MA 02138.