Aki Kawakami

Aki Kawakami of Arvada passed away peacefully in Lakewood, Colorado on January 22, 2024, at the age of ninety-five. A member of America’s “Greatest Generation,” she is survived by her son, Mark, her daughter, Christine, her son-in-law, Mark, and two granddaughters, Tera and Kelsey.

Aki was born on October 8, 1928, in San Jose, California to Seizo and Hisako Iwasaki. At the age of thirteen, her mother, brother Hiraku (Carl) and she were forced to relocate first to a detention facility at the Santa Anita Racetrack in Los Angeles, then the Heart Mountain War Relocation Authority camp near Cody, Wyoming.

Once World War II ended, Aki and her mother moved back to California where she graduated from San Jose High School class of ’46. In 1949, they relocated once again to Denver to live with Carl who had been a photographer for the War Relocation Authority.

In 1951, Aki attended Barnes Business School and then began to work as an administrative assistant at the Bureau of Reclamation. On September 26, 1953, Aki married Fred Kawakami, an engineer, and they moved to Arvada. Their son Mark and daughter Christine were born, respectively, in 1958 and 1960.

Fred died at the age of 40 in 1964 and Aki continued to be a stay-at-home mom until 1968 when she started a three-year stint as a teacher’s assistant at Vanderhoof Elementary School in Arvada. In 1971, Aki began twenty-two years of service as an administrative assistant at the National Park Service Historical Preservation Unit in Lakewood.

In 1991, the National Park Service observed its seventy-fifth anniversary in Washington, DC. As part of the festivities, Aki was recognized as one of five outstanding NPS employees nation-wide. She retired from this position in 1993.

In 1994 and 1995, Aki became a grandmother with the birth of granddaughters Tera and Kelsey.

Aki was a gentle, kind and loving mother, grandmother and friend. She will be missed.

A private celebration of life gathering is planned.