Shoko Kaneshiro - Rafu Shimpo

Mrs. Shoko Kaneshiro passed away peacefully at her home in Los Angeles on Oct. 18, 2019.

Born in Tokyo, Japan, Shoko was the second of three children. Raised in Hiratsuka, Kanagawa-ken, Japan, she was exposed to music and culture at an early age. She worked with young children teaching music, voice and piano. And for a short while worked as a bank teller.

She met her late husband, George Toyoichi, while he was with the MIS in Japan, and later moved to Los Angeles. Shoko was among the founding members of the WLA Holiness Church, and served as their first pianist. She was also a long time volunteer at the Japanese Community Senior Pioneer Center in Little Tokyo during the 1970s and early 1980s.

She enjoyed traveling the U.S. and abroad, and maintained an active social life both in California and Colorado. She was a wonderful cook, loved the outdoors — an avid angler, and mushroom hunter in the mountains — and loved the arts and music.

Shoko is survived by her children and grandchildren.

A private funeral was held at WLA Holiness Church on Nov. 9, 2019.