May Satsuki Murata

May Satsuki Murata of San Antonio, Texas went to be with the Lord Jesus Christ on April 8, 2017 at 86 years of age. May and Colonel Isamu (Ike) Murata, USAF, retired, were college sweethearts and married for 64 years. In the months preceding her death, May was able to spend time and share fond memories with Ike, her children Liz and Rick, daughter-in-law, Woody, and all nine of her grandchildren. She died peacefully in her home as Ike sang one of her favorite songs to her.

May was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, the third of six children to Lawrence and Ayako Kagawa. The Kagawas, along with 110,000 Japanese Americans, were forced to abandon their homes and interned in “relocation camps” on the mainland. The Kagawas were sent to a camp in Jerome, Arkansas in 1942. In November 1943, the family was allowed to move to Des Moines, Iowa. After the war ended, they were permitted to return to Honolulu, Hawaii where May graduated from Roosevelt High School. She went on to attend and graduate from the University of Hawaii with a degree in accounting and finance. May was very proud to be elected as the mascot for the University of Hawaii golf team, in addition to lettering in golf for her contribution in this role. May met and fell in love with Ike at the university and they married shortly after graduation.

May, a devoted Air Force wife, moved with Ike on assignments to Honolulu, HI; Tokyo Japan (twice); Amarillo, TX; Colorado Springs, CO; and San Antonio, TX. When Ike retired after 28 years of active duty service, they settled in San Antonio. They loved to travel and their adventures took them all over Japan, Canada, parts of Europe and all 50 states. May’s goal was to visit every national park in the United States and their road trips were entertaining and informative. At each Air Force base, May was active in the Officers’ Wives Club serving in many capacities, but especially as the treasurer, as she was always great with accounting. An avid and exceptional bridge player, May built many lifelong friendships with her bridge friends and also found time to volunteer as a Red Cross Gray Lady at the base medical clinics.

May surrounded herself with beauty … her home was exquisitely decorated; she dressed with style and class. She was a gifted artisan and expressed herself in many creative outlets. She was masterful at Japanese floral arranging and beautiful “Kamakura Bori” (wood carving), as well as stained glass, weaving, quilting and sewing. Cross Stitching was a favorite way for her to express herself. May’s home is graced with her artistry; some projects taking years to complete… always with perfection… the backside of her work is just as precise as the front side.

Family was the most important part of May’s life. She was a devoted wife, an excellent mother and a doting grandmother. May was the mother of Liz, wife of Don Duffy of Auburn, CA, and Rick, husband of Woody Murata of Schertz, TX. She was also the proud grandmother of triplets David Paul, Jennifer Paul, and Alexandra and Forrest Tylutki, and of Melissa and Matt Gomez, Jonathan and Dr. Alyssa Murata, Daniel and Renae Murata, Megan and Ben Leach, Michael Murata, and Andrew Murata. She was preceded in death by her first grandchild, Christopher Murata, and her brother, Sig Kagawa. May is survived by her sisters Betty Fujioka, June Reinwald, and Joy Tanaka of Honolulu, HI and Carol Ouchi of Los Angeles, CA.

May Satsuki Murata left a message with Ike to play the beautiful song, “In This Life” by

Israel Kamakawiwo'ole, at her service that expressed how she felt about him.

For all I've been blessed with in my life

There was an emptiness in me

I was imprisoned by the power of gold

With one kind touch you’ve set me free

Let the world stop turning

Let the sun stop burning

Let them tell me love’s not worth going through

If it all falls apart

I will know deep in my heart

The only dream that mattered had come true

In this life I was loved by you

For every mountain I have climbed

Every raging river crossed

You were the treasure that I longed to find

Without your love I would be lost

Let the world stop turning

Let the sun stop burning

Let them tell me love’s not worth going through

If it all falls apart

I will know deep in my heart

The only dream that mattered had come true

In this life I was loved by you

I know that I won’t live forever

But forever I’ll be loving you

Let the world stop turning

Let the sun stop burning

Tell me loves not going through

If it all falls apart I will know deep in my heart

The only dream that mattered had come true

In this life I was loved by you

In this life I was loved by you

A private, family graveside service will be held on April 21st at Ft Sam Houston National Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial contributions be made to:

• Samaritan’s Purse (samaritanspurse.org)

• Christian Veterinary Mission (cvmusa.org)

• Precious Seed Ministries (wymanpministries.com)