Kazuko Littlejohn
Kazuko “Kay” Littlejohn passed away at the age of 87 from natural causes at her home in Oceanside, Calif. on Sunday, November 1, 2020. She was the widow of Robert Littlejohn, USMC retired. Kazuko is survived by her younger brother Seihichiro, younger sister Kikuko, her nephews Michael, Paul, and Fred, and her nieces Kelly, Michele, and Chantelle.
Kazuko was born and raised on the island of Miyajima, Hiroshima, Japan in 1933, not far from the Itsukushima Shrine that is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The sixth sibling out of eight and the first girl that was born, she grew up during a difficult and turbulent time in Japan. Upon meeting Robert Littlejohn while working at Marine Corp Air Station Iwakuni, falling in love, and marrying him, she moved to the Camp Pendleton/Oceanside area in the early 1960s, where she spent most of the remainder of her life. Among her many hobbies, she enjoyed cooking, shopping, writing Japanese haiku poetry, playing pinochle with her friends, singing karaoke, and gardening. She was also a breast cancer survivor of over thirty years.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a small funeral and burial service was held on Monday, November 16, 2020, at Eternal Hills Memorial Park in Oceanside, where she is now laid to rest alongside her late husband. Kazuko will be forever remembered for helping pioneer a new life here in the United States for her brother, sister, nieces, and nephews, and for her generous and kind spirit. She will be deeply missed.