Yeme Emiko Miwa

Yeme Emiko Yokomizo was born October 24, 1920 in Scottsbluff, Nebraska, she was the oldest of 8 children.

Growing up Yeme attended the public schools in Minatare Nebraska. When she was 9 years old her parents took her to Japan to live with relatives to obtain some traditional Japanese schooling. She, along with her younger sister Miyako, stayed there for 2 years. After being away from Nebraska for so long, Yeme had to relearn all of her English. Yeme was raised on the family farm and graduated from Minatare High School in 1939.

After Graduation, Yeme and several other Japanese American teenagers and young adults from around the United States went to Japan to experience the culture and to further their education. On this trip, Yeme met her future husband, Stanley Miwa, although they didn’t actually begin dating until later.

Stanley was actually from California and so after the trip to Japan he went back to California and Yeme went back to Nebraska.

After Japan entered the war, the US government sent many of the Japanese Americans to the Interment camps. All of Stanley’s family was sent to the Poston Arizona camp, with the exception of Stanley. Stanley chose the option to leave California and move “inland” versus go to the internment camp. He and two of his friends left California with one suitcase apiece; they headed North and then East to avoid any conflict from the American government. they made it to Minnesota where he worked as a Chick sexer.

Stanley never forgot Yeme, and would make trips from Minnesota and Wisconsin to Nebraska to visit Yeme and to court her.

Yeme and Stanley married on January 20, 1943 in Scottsbluff, Nebraska. After they were married, they went between Minnesota and Wisconsin for Stanley’s work.

Stanley entered the Army in November of 1944. After boot camp and Officers training school, he was stationed in Tokyo, Japan in the Military Intelligence sector as a First Lieutenant. Yeme and Stanley remained in Japan until July of 1948 and then they returned to the United States. Stanley left the Army later that year and they moved back to Scottsbluff, NE where Yeme gave birth to their first child, Keith, on November 24th, 1948.

In 1949 they moved to Hawthorne California to work with Stanley’s family in the Nursery business. However, within the first year, Yeme’s father asked them to move back to Nebraska to help with the family farm, so they packed up and moved back to Scottsbluff.

After they moved back to Nebraska, they had two more children Sandi born December 5th, 1951 and Sheri born April 9th, 1956.

In late 1958 Stanley and Yeme opened ABC Nursery in Scottsbluff. ABC nursery was one of the main nurseries in the western Nebraska panhandle. They sold plants and trees, and provided landscaping and sprinkler system services. During the Christmas season they also sold Christmas trees and decorations. They owned and operated the nursery until they sold it in 1979.

Besides working at the nursery, Yeme was involved with the Friendly circle and enjoyed doing crafts, gardening, and raising her orchids. She also had a very large collection of gladiolas, which she planted every year at their house. When they bloomed you could see them from the hi-way and more than once someone would stop to admire them.

After they sold the nursery, Stanley and Yeme bought a small place in San Carlos Mexico. There, they spent the winter months deep-sea fishing and enjoying the ocean and the warm weather. They made many friends in Mexico and enjoyed getting together with them for dinners and to play cards and dominoes.

In 2000 they moved from their longtime home in Nebraska, to Denver, Colorado to be closer to their children and grandchildren. They maintained the place in San Carlos and continued to spend winters there until the drive became too difficult. They sold the house in Mexico in 2007.

Stanley passed away, at the age of 95, on July 24th, 2009.

Yeme Emiko Miwa passed away, at the age of 96, on May 21st 2017.

Yeme and Stanley had 3 children, 7 grandchildren, and so far 9 great grandchildren.