Shigeko Annie Caracappa

Shigeko Anna “Annie” Caracappa (née Izumisawa), 95, of Oceanside, CA, passed peacefully into eternal rest on Thursday, January 2, 2020. Annie was born on May 7, 1924, in Yokosuka, Japan, to Fukutaro Izumisawa and Hatsu Mase as the third of eight children. She attended local schools, including the prestigious Ohtsu Girls High School and Bunka College, before working at U.S. Naval Hospital Yokosuka in the early 1950s. During that time, she met her future husband, Michael “Mike” Caracappa, a U.S. Marine stationed at the Yokosuka Marine Barracks. Their courtship in Japan was brief, as Mike was transferred back to Camp Pendleton, CA, in 1954. Annie awaited his return and a year later they were married on August 3, 1955, in Tokyo. After another year apart, Annie joined Mike in America in 1956, arriving in San Francisco on the transport ship General C.G. Morton. In California they built a life together and she had a successful career with Bank of America, retiring after 20 years at the branch in Oceanside.

Annie was a faithful member of Old Mission San Luis Rey Church in Oceanside since 1956. She was a beloved member of the 8th Defense/AAA Battalion Reunion Association, an organization for veterans of Mike’s WWII unit and their families. Annie enjoyed meeting new and different people, and her delicate nature made everyone she encountered feel welcome and important. Annie and Mike traveled extensively over the years, with memorable journeys to Alaska, Hawaii, Japan, and many corners of America, which they remembered fondly in photographs, videos, and souvenir magnets on the kitchen refrigerator.

Annie was preceded in death by her husband of 63 years, as well as her parents and several siblings in Japan. She is survived by extended family members in Japan and the U.S., including a brother, nephews, and nieces, especially Cindy and Frank Kadel of Reading, PA. She also leaves several important friends and caregivers, including Rose Marie and Battista Castellano, Yolanda Morales, Yolanda Orozco, Mike Martinez, and Debra Hernandez, all of Oceanside, CA; Jeremy Edward Shiok of Anchorage, AK; fellow members of Old Mission San Luis Rey Church; and employees at her favorite local restaurants.

A Funeral Mass and Rite of Committal will begin at 10:00am on Tuesday, January 28, 2020, at Old Mission San Luis Rey Chapel in Oceanside, CA. Arrangements are by Eternal Hills Memorial Park, (760) 754-6600. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Old Mission San Luis Rey Church, 4050 Mission Avenue, Oceanside, CA 92057.