Helen Taka Akita

Helen Taka Akita passed away peacefully on December 1, 2021 at the grand age of 102. She was born on October 30, 1919 in Burlington, WA to Zenzaburo and Kimi Maekawa. Helen was the last of 11 siblings to pass away.

Helen’s early years were spent in Burlington, Bellingham and Blanchard. Her parents farmed, and then her father built the Oyster Bar restaurant on Chuckanut Drive, which is still there, above an oyster cannery. While her mother ran the restaurant, Helen took care of her younger siblings. Later she and several family members worked at the oyster cannery.

Helen moved to Seattle to stay with her older sister, Fumi Noji, and graduated from Franklin High School. She then returned to Burlington, and eventually married Hiram Akita. After their son Jerry was born, they moved back to Seattle to help Fumi and her husband Mitsugi at Columbia Greenhouse.

During World War II, the family was sent to Camp Harmony in Puyallup, WA and then interned at Tule Lake, CA where their daughter, Barbara, was born. They left camp in 1943 for Idaho to work on onion, potato and sugar beet farms. In 1944, Helen and Hiram moved to Chicago, IL where Pat was born in 1945 and Coralie (Corky) in 1947. They were very active in the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) and the Woodlawn Methodist Church, where they served as young adult advisors. In 1952, the family moved back to Seattle and settled on Beacon Hill near Jefferson Park.

Helen was an active member at Blaine Memorial United Methodist Church all her Seattle life as well as JACL locally and nationally; she started skiing with Hiram at the age of 50 with the Rokka Ski Club; she was a founding member of the Tokiwa Women’s Golf Club; and she enjoyed playing bridge, dominoes, and Shanghai rummy with friends and family. Over the years she and Hiram travelled to Japan, Hawaii and throughout the U.S. and Canada. From her childhood, Helen also learned to appreciate clam digging, nori picking and matsutake mushroom hunting, passing this enjoyment down to her entire family. Helen was a huge fan of the Seattle Mariners, Seattle Seahawks and UW Husky football and of course golf.

In her last years, Helen loved her stay at Merrill Gardens in Renton, WA where she was an active participant. Later, she was under the care of Cindy, Jeff and Micah at Sipes Adult Home Care; Jane, Monica, Patrick and Paul at Grandview Adult Family Home; and Evergreen Hospice. Thank you all for your care and support.

Helen was preceded in death by her husband, Hiram; daughter and son-in-law, Pat and Wayne Miyahira; and daughter-in-law, Jane Kitamoto Akita. She is survived by her children Jerry (June), Barbara (Dick) Nagaoka, and Corky (Jim) Kozu; 11 grandchildren: Stacy, Kristen (Mark), Pamela, Debra (Geoff), Andrea (Aaron), Cindy (Justin), Scott, Ann (Mark), Lynn, Erin (John), and Kimi; 16 great-grandchildren: Samantha (Harrison), Mason, Rick (Emily), Gareth, Jarrett, Tadashi, Mitchell, Mieko, Luke, Lea, Maya, Lillian, Justin, Lucy, Ethan, and Ren; and 1 great-great grandchild: Malia.

Helen was loving, kind, friendly, helpful to all, practical, adventurous, willing to learn new things, generous and a gracious receiver and loved her Blaine Memorial community. Most of all she enjoyed being around her family.

A memorial service will be held at a later date. Remembrances may be made to Blaine Memorial United Methodist Church. 3001 24th Avenue, Seattle, WA 98144.