Carolyn Sunada

Carolyn fought till the end in her battle against cancer (Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma) which began only back in August 2010. But she couldn’t defeat it once it entered into her cerebrospinal fluid and she passed away peacefully at home on April 15, 2011. Carolyn was born on August 9, 1956 in Lodi, California. She is survived by her loving husband of 30 years, Les, and their son Jonathon (20). She is the daughter of Miyeko (Murata) Kawamura and the late Kuni Kawamura. She is the sister of Marcia Guzman of Acampo, CA(Ron, daughter Tiana Mustin, son Ronny), Lorene Hirakawa of Folsom, CA(Gary, son Christopher Ishida) and Edward Kawamura of Franklin, TN(Trish, daughter Kaylie, son Kyle). Carolyn is the daughter-in-law of Clarine Sunada and the late Frank Sunada of San Jose, CA. Sister –in-law to Gayle and Robert Yasutake of Milpitas, CA (sons Ryan, Darren; daughter Amanda) and Craig and Yi Sunada of Newark, CA(daughter Emily).

Carolyn devoted her life to “education” and even as a young girl aspired to become a teacher. After graduating from Lodi High School in 1974 she attended San Joaquin Delta College and then transferred to the University of the Pacific where she graduated in 1978 with a BA in Communicative Disorders. A year later she earned a Learning Handicapped Teaching Credential. During that time she met her soon to be husband, Les, while visiting friends who attended San Jose State University. Carolyn moved to the South Bay area in 1979 landing her first teaching job with the Milpitas Unified School District (MUSD) as a teacher of Special Education. Thus began a 25 year teaching career helping those children with learning disabilities to succeed in their life’s endeavors. Carolyn was known to be a strict disciplinarian but cared deeply for her students and always had their best interests in mind.

In August 1980 she and Les married first settling in an apartment in San Jose, before purchasing a condo in Fremont a few years later. They would make Fremont their home for the rest of their lives together. After waiting to establish their careers and their financial status, they finally had their one and only child, Jonathon, in June 1990. He was Carolyn’s “pride and joy”. As a family, they enjoyed travelling to places near and far. A summer was not complete without a family vacation. Their travels took them to Orlando several times (Disney fanatics) and a huge number of places across the US. Internationally they travelled to Canada, Mexico, Japan and many times to Europe making a lot of precious memories along the way. Carolyn loved to “scrapbook” and was looking forward to completing her many projects when she retired. She also started to quilt and was very proud to have finished a quilt for Jonathon which showcased pictures and logos from his many high school t-shirts. She loved to collect Christmas ornaments and decorations which adorned the house for many weeks during the holiday season and even later!

Carolyn’s desire to further her professional career inspired her to enroll in National University eventually obtaining her MS in Education Administration in 2007 so that she could pursue the administration aspect of education. She worked in the District Office of the MUSD as a Coordinator in the Student Services Department. She then wanted the experience of being an administrator at a school site and served as Assistant Principal at many elementary schools in the district. She enjoyed the challenges of the administration side of the business, and the ability to put her many years of experience and expertise in the Special Education area “to the test”. She was well suited for the job, being an organized, dedicated and caring person she gained the respect of students, teachers and other administrators.

All are welcome to attend a Memorial Service to Celebrate the Life of Carolyn to be held on Saturday, May 28, 2011 at 3:00 PM at the Wesley United Methodist Church, 566 North Fifth Street, San Jose, CA. A reception will follow in the church hall.

Those who wish to make a donation in lieu of flowers may donate in memory of Carolyn to:

 Palo Alto Medical Foundation specifically for the expansion of the Fremont Infusion Center

 Milpitas Unified School District for the Carolyn Sunada Scholarship Fund.

 Leukemia and Lymphoma Society

Arrangements under the direction of Lima Family Milpitas-Fremont Mortuary, Fremont, CA.