July 6, 1915 — January 8, 2022
Sumako “Sue” Tsushima passed away peacefully in her sleep on January 8, 2022, at the grand age of 106. Sue was born in Little Tokyo on July 6, 1915, as the eldest child of Tokizo and Ichi Hironaka, and grew up in San Diego. In late 1939 she moved to Aomori, Japan, where she met and married Ko Tsushima. After the war, Sue and her husband and three children moved to San Diego, where she raised her children and was active with the Bonsai Club and the Landscape Gardeners Association. Sue was a faithful member of the Ocean View Congregational Church.
Sue is predeceased by Ko and her daughter, Esther, and was beloved as a caring mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. She is survived by her daughters, Chikako Ruth (Bill) Watanabe and Marianne (Emory) Hoshi; and her niece, Wendy Hironaka (Bill) Thornton; and niece and nephew Christine and Glen Koyama and their families.
Due to COVID, a memorial service will be held at a future date. Donations in Sue’s memory may be made to the San Diego Bonsai Club, P.O. Box 86037, San Diego, CA 92138.
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