June 20, 1941 – June 10, 2024
Helen Masaye Kataoka Nakamoto, age 82, of San Jose, Calif., passed from this life on June 10, 2024. She was born on June 20, 1941, to Tom and Alice Kataoka in Los Angeles, Calif. Predeceased by brothers, Pete (Ichiko) and Jerry; sister, Ethel (Ivan) Okazaki. She married Richard Nakamoto in 1959 and together they raised their family in San Jose, Calif.
She is survived by her husband of 65 years, Richard Nakamoto; sons, Paul and Jeff; daughter, Cheryl Davis (Mark); granddaughter, Katie Davis; niece, Terri Okazaki and a host of many family members, friends and her dog, Peanut.
Helen worked in the insurance industry for 25 years with the California State Automobile Association and Industrial Indemnity Insurance Company.
She will be remembered for her determination and sense of humor. A dedicated mom, she served as a girls’ softball manager and coach for the Blossom Ridge Bobby Sox Softball League, Cub Scout den mother in Saratoga and many other school and extracurricular activities with her children.
One of Helen’s favorite activities was bowling, where she and Richard participated in many leagues for decades. Her other favorite activity was playing the slot machine and she was often very lucky with the one-armed-bandit. You never needed to ask her more than once, would you like to make a trip to South Lake Tahoe, Reno or Las Vegas. She said that she’d like to be remembered for not being afraid to try new things, water skiing in the ocean, snow skiing in South Lake Tahoe, snowmobiling, hiking to the top of Nevada and Vernal Falls in Yosemite National Park and whitewater rafting.
Service Information: Graveside and burial, Oak Hill Memorial Park – San Jose on Saturday, July 6, at 11 a.m., lunch to follow.