Nancy was born Nov. 4, 1942, in a Japanese-American relocation camp in Heart Mountain, Wyo. Her winning smile easily attracted admirers within camp, who awarded her “Best Personality” in a baby contest. her parents, Sumi and Tsutomo Washizaki moved to California after the war, bore a son, Jerry, and later divorced. Sumi got remarried to Bob Miyakwa and had a daughter, Debbie. Nancy was raised in Chicago where she met and married her longtime neighborhood friend, Shig Moriki. The couple had a daughter, Julie, whom they raised in Des Plaines. In 2007, she retired from Plainfield School after 34 years of teaching service. She is survived by her daughter, Julie (Darrin) Searcy; father, Bob Miyakawa; brother, Jerry (Sharon); sister, Debbie (Michael) Mraz; and numerous nieces and nephews. A celebration of life service will be held at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 17, at Oehler Funeral Home, 2099 Miner St., Des Plaines.
