Lil was born to Tsuyoshi and Yayoi Inouye in the family’s Spruce Street home in Seattle on June 8, 1925. She had three older sisters, Bessie, Ruby, Fran and two younger brothers, Howard and Lloyd. From an early age, Lil and her sisters helped at their parents’ restaurant, the State Café, situated on 1st Avenue at the site of dining room/bar of the Alexis Hotel.
At the start of World War II, the family was interned in Minidoka Internment Center. There, Lil met her future husband, John Matsudaira. Soon after, she moved East, eventually to Philadelphia, where she worked for Bell telephone and to support her sister, Ruby, in her medical studies.
After the war, Lil returned to Seattle, married John and started a family. John quickly developed a reputation as an artist but also worked at Boeing for decades to support the family. In 1955, they moved to their current house where they raised three boys, Paul, Peter, Gary, and a daughter, Ann. By the time the kids were in high school and college, Lil returned to the workforce first as a bookkeeper for Columbia Sportswear and later for the City of Seattle Licensing and Consumer Affairs office, where she issued gaming licenses.
John and Lil retired to help raise their grandchildren and Lil volunteered at St. Vincent de Paul. But as time went on, John became ill and Lil devoted her efforts to her husband. When John died in 2007, Lil kept active by going on long drives to distant points in the state with her son, Gary, daily walks at Southcenter and spending time with her sister, Fran, and other seniors at Kokura-kai. Until her death, she was spry on her feet and sharp in her mind. Lil is survived by a brother, Lloyd Inouye, Brother and Sister inlaws: Sappo and Joyce, Vince and Charlotte, Steve and Linda, Barbara, Hisa, Brenda, Ida Matsudaira, Pauline Yaguchi, Kazu and Wes Kokame, and sister in law Betty Inouye.
three sons, Paul (Maureen Murray), Peter (Nancy Matsudaira), Gary Matsudaira, a daughter, Ann (Steve Otani) and their children, Joseph, Michael, Kellie, Jaymi, Kimberley, Hana, and John.
A memorial service will be held at St. Paul Catholic Church, 10001 57th Ave. S, Seattle WA 98178 on June 29, 2019 at 11AM. A reception will follow in the Parish Hall.
In lieu of flowers, Lil requests donations to:
O’Dea High School 802 Terry Ave, Seattle, WA 98104
Maryknoll Fathers and Sisters: 958 16th Ave. East, Seattle, WA 98112
Nisei Veterans Committee Foundation (NVCF), 1212 S. King St, Seattle WA 98144
St. Paul Catholic Church, 10001 57th Ave So Seattle Wa. 98178
or Kokoro Kai Volunteer Fund, 700 6th Ave. So. Seattle WA 98104.
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