May H Mineta

peacefully on July 3, 2024 after a sudden and quick bout with bone cancer.

May was born in 1934 in Colusa, California, the youngest of 6 children. Her parents, Miyako and Frank S.

Hinoki, immigrated from Hiroshima, Japan.

Her life was centered around her dedication and love of family, her church, and music.

May was raised in the Sacramento Valley town of Colusa among a small, close-knit Asian community.

She worked after-school in her parent's dry cleaning business and provided childcare for local families to

earn money for college. Her love of singing, religious music, and her strong faith flourished in the musical

Hinoki household. She had a beautiful voice and often performed solos.

She was active in the Trinity Methodist Church and attended local schools until WWII when her family and

120,000 others of Japanese American descent, a majority of whom were US citizens, were uprooted from

their communities and unjustly incarcerated in federal concentration camps. May and her family were sent

to Amache Relocation Center, Granada, Colorado. This experience had a lasting impact on their lives.

After WWII, May and her family returned to Colusa where she completed high school. She then enrolled

in San Francisco State College where she earned a degree in Special Education and a credential to teach

children with hearing challenges. She was an active member of Pine Methodist Church.

Upon graduation, she moved to San Jose and began teaching at a local school district. She joined the

Wesley Methodist Church where she met her future husband, the late Honorable Norman Mineta, who at

the time, operated his family's insurance agency. The couple married in 1961 and had 3 sons: David,

Stuart, and Phillip, who died shortly after birth.

After her husband was elected to Congress, the family moved to the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area

in 1974. May actively volunteered on service projects, began lifelong friendships, and established a new

home for their family in Alexandria, Virginia.

After the couple divorced, May relocated in 1988 to Walnut Creek where she lived for more than 30 years.

She immersed herself with the Care-Outreach program at Stephens Ministry with Hillside Covenant

Church, participated in a weekly Thursday Night Bible Study group, and was a member of a quilting group

that made and donated more than 800 comfort quilts to others. May also enjoyed volunteering her time as

the Chief Advisor to the B Walker Ranch, which provides a day program for adults with autism.

Aside from her involvement outside of the house, May’s true joy and excitement gravitated around her

grandchildren. She relished family gatherings and watching her son’s children at recitals, sporting events,

and other extracurricular activities. May cared for many of her grandchildren and even her own aging

siblings.

In 2022, May and her brother Earsei, transitioned together to an assisted-living community in Milpitas

where they made new friends and adjusted to a new community.

May will be deeply missed by her family and friends. She is survived by: sons David (Christine) and Stuart

(Scarlett) Mineta; grandchildren Freddy, Lauryn, Matthew, Presley, Gracie, Yoshiko, and Ileana, and many

loving nieces and nephews. She is preceded in death by: parents Miyako and Frank S. Hinoki; siblings

Emiko (Grant) Shimizu; Hizeko (Akiji) Yoshimura; brothers Koe, George, and Earsei Hinoki; and son

Phillip Mineta.

The family thanks Kaiser Permanente of Santa Clara, Westmont of Milpitas, and Bristol Hospice staff for

their kindness during her illness and for her loving family and friends who have cared for her over the

years.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to B Walker Ranch, (mail donations to: B Walker

Ranch, 4160 Suisun Valley Rd., Suite E, Suisun Valley, CA 94534) or a charity of your choice.

Funeral services will be held on Saturday, July 20, 2024 at 11:00 am at Hillside Covenant Church, 2060

Magnolia Way, Walnut Creek.