March 29, 1915 – August 4, 2012
Mitsuko Nakashita passed away at South Bay Keiro Nursing Home on August 4, 2012. She was 97 years of age.
She was predeceased by her parents, Ihachi and Yone Nakashita, her sisters, Ayako Shibuya Sato and Shizuko Nakashita, brothers, Toshiki, Fusao, Shizuo, and Teruo (Ben) Nakashita.
She is survived by her sister-in-law, Chizuko Nakashita of Pleasant Hill, CA, niece Grace Nakashita, nephews Fredrick and Eugene Nakashita of Northern California, nephew Robert Shibuya of Chicago, IL and nephews Clark (Hiroshi), David (Tadashi) of Koloa, Kauai, HI and Arthur (Atsushi) of Gardena, CA, great grandniece and nephew, Ethan and Natalie Nakashita. She is also survived by niece Yasuko and nephews Yoshihiko and Yoshiaki Nakashita, grandnieces and nephews, Tsuyoshi, Yoko, Tadashi, Tomomi, and Saori of Japan.
Mitsuko was born in Compton, CA and was sent to live in Japan as a small child. She returned to the US after high school. She and her sister, Shizuko, worked with Dr. Kikuwo Tashiro’s family. During the war she was uprooted from Long Beach, CA to Santa Anita Assembly Center and then to Jerome and Rohwer Internment Camps in Arkansas. After the war her family resettled in Chicago, IL where she worked in the garment industry and was active with the Midwest Buddhist Temple and enjoyed Japanese dancing. She was briefly married to Jack Yamashita and divorced in 1947. After retiring, she moved back to the west coast and settled in Gardena, CA with her sisters Shizuko and Ayako and her mother. After their passing she led a very independent life until she could no longer take care of herself and was then admitted to South Bay Keiro Nursing Home where they took loving care of her for three years until her death.
She was cremated on Monday, August 13th and an ash burial service will be held at Green Hills Memorial Park at 11am on Saturday September 15th. The family requests no flowers or koden. Donations may be made to South Bay Keiro Nursing Home, 15115 So. Vermont Ave., Gardena, CA 90247 in her memory.