Yoshiko and Allen Raska

Allen (Al) Lester Raska, 80, of Keizer, Oregon, passed away on November 7, 2023. He was preceded in death by his parents, Lester & Teresa Raska, his brother Stanley (Indiana), and his brother David (Missouri). He was survived by his wife of 60 years, Yoshiko; his son, Scott (Jody); three grandchildren, Ariana (Donovan) Paull, Isaac (Sydney) Raska, and Elyssia (Ryan) Landsiedel; one great-grandchild, Cameron, his sister Rebecca, his brother John and several nieces and nephews.

Yoshiko (Judy) Raska, 80, of Keizer, Oregon, passed away on April 22, 2024. She was preceded in death by her parents, Saburo and Hisako Honda, one sister, Keiko, and her husband of 60 years, Allen. She is survived by her son, Scott (Jody); three grandchildren, Ariana (Donovan) Paull, Isaac (Sydney) Raska, and Elyssia (Ryan) Landsiedel; one great-grandchild; her sisters, Setsuko and Sumiko and several nieces and nephews.

Allen was born March 6, 1943, in Rensselaer, Indiana, the oldest of five siblings. He spent his childhood and teenage years farming near LaPorte and South Bend, Indiana, and upon graduation from Rolling Prairie High School in 1961, enlisted in the Air Force.

Yoshiko Honda was born on February 10, 1944, in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan, the youngest of five siblings. Her father died when she was very young, and she spent her childhood with her sisters and mother, helping operate their small hotel and later helping her older sisters with their young families. Upon completion of schooling, she, with her next oldest sister, Setsuko, began taking translator classes. They and their classmates were practicing their conversational English skills at a small church near a US military base, where they met two young airmen, Allen and his friend Ron Davison. The sisters married the two airmen and moved to the US shortly after, and Yoshiko took on the nickname Al gave her, Judy.

Al and Judy settled in Southern California, where they lived in Victorville and Los Angeles for several years. They welcomed their only child, Scott, in 1965. Allen was honorably discharged from the Air Force in 1967 and began working at Sears in the Assistant Manager trainee program. 1970, the family moved to Sacramento, where Al and Judy purchased their first home. Allen continued working at Sears, then left to sell insurance and eventually opened his own business selling real estate. Yoshiko worked at Lucky's grocery stores until her retirement.

Al loved to garden, tending the many fruit trees in his backyard in Sacramento. He also grew many types of flowers for Judy, making corsages for her every Sunday before church. He loved to take pictures of his family and friends, as evidenced by the many photo albums in their home. Judy loved to shop, especially for clothing, and always looked for the best sale. They liked to have friends over for meals and conversation. They loved spending time with family, especially their grandchildren and often went on outings to the American River, downtown Sacramento, and San Francisco. They often traveled along the Pacific Northwest coastline, one of their favorite places, and took trips to the Midwest to see Allen's family and to Japan to visit Yoshiko's family.

In 2015, Al and Judy decided to sell their home in Sacramento along with most of their possessions and move to Fukuoka, Japan, to spend their final years. They planned to help Yoshiko's two oldest sisters, who were aging and in need of additional care, and they wanted to share the Gospel of Jesus with those they met. In 2017, Al suffered a massive stroke that should have killed him, but he insisted that God wasn't finished with him yet. They were able to travel to Oregon in 2018 to spend several months visiting their son and grandchildren and seeing their grandson, Isaac, marry his love, Sydney. In 2020, Allen suffered another stroke and became bedridden. He was cared for at home by Yoshiko. In May of 2022, Yoshiko was diagnosed with Stage 3 pancreatic cancer. Scott and Jody were able to visit them briefly in summer 2022. In August 2023, Allen & Yoshiko again sold their home in Japan and, with the help of Scott, Jody, and their grandchildren, relocated to an assisted living home in Keizer, Oregon. They were able to spend time with family and meet their great-grandson from Elyssia and Ryan, Cameron, who was born just weeks prior to Allen's passing on November 7, 2023.

Judy made many friends at her new home in Keizer and participated in Bible studies, bingo, crafting events, and outings to shop and see Christmas lights. Her family visited often and took her to church and family lunches and celebrations. In February, the family received the news that her cancer was no longer responding to treatment. Yoshiko passed away with her son by her side on April 22, 2024.