Sept. 2, 1952 — May 10, 2024
Mariko Mari Okumoto, 71-year-old Sansei, passed away on May 10, 2024, at a board and care home in Carson, where she resided for two months. Prior to the board and care home, she resided at her apartment in Gardena for five years.
Mariko was born on Sept. 2, 1952, in Los Angeles, Calif. The family moved to Gardena in 1968, and she graduated from Gardena High School in 1971. She lived in Japan for about a year in the early 1970s and became fluent in Japanese.
She struggled with mental illness since 1981. She began treatment at Coastal Asian Pacific Islander Mental Health Clinic in 1986, followed by a long and difficult road to recovery. In 2000, she joined Project Return: The Next Step, a peer support program, where she improved her social and leadership skills and gained self-confidence. She continued with Project Return as a volunteer, and in 2008, she was hired as a peer supporter until she retired in 2019.
Mariko was predeceased by her parents, Toshiaki and Youko Okumoto. She is survived by her sister, Akiko “Aki” Okumoto. She is also survived by many relatives here and in Japan.
Memorial service will be held on Sat., June 15, 1 p.m. at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2000 W. Artesia Blvd., Torrance, CA 90504.
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