Geraldine Mitsuko Yamamoto, age 87, passed away on August 16, 2021.
She was predeceased in death by her husband, Ben Tsutomu (1931-2006). Geraldine was the beloved mother of Bryce (Sandra Wagand) Yamamoto, Julie (Ben Kingsbury) Yamamoto and Jan (Jack) Mongkolkasetarin; and loving grandmother to Hana (16) and Kai (10) Kingsbury, and Miya (10) and Yumi (6) Mongkolkasetarin. She is also survived by her sister, Toshiko Horibe, and brother, Roy Kodama, as well as many nieces, nephews and other relatives.
Geraldine was born in Imperial County, California to Takejiro and Nobuye Kodama and was the youngest of 10 children. At the outset of World War II, she was removed from her home with her family and taken to a government internment camp, like tens of thousands of other U.S. citizens of Japanese descent. After the war, she became a registered nurse and worked at Cedars of Lebanon hospital in Hollywood in the 1950s, where she would occasionally care for movie stars like Marilyn Monroe and Rock Hudson.
After raising her three children, she worked part-time at a UCI health clinic in Santa Ana. She enjoyed golf, gardening, traveling and spending time with extended family.
She was laid to rest at Green Hills Memorial Park on Saturday, September 18, with her immediate family attending. A memorial service will be held at a later date.
www.fukuimortuary.com (213) 626-0441