Toshiye Sekiya

It is with great sadness that we announce the peaceful passing of our beloved mother, Toshiye Sekiya (aka Tosh or Terry), at the age of 101, on Tuesday, December 19 at Royal Ascot Care Centre. She lived a long and remarkable life and left a huge void in our lives.

Toshiye was born in Hammond (Haney), BC on July 11, 1922. She was one of six children. The family was interned to Taber in 1942 and later moved to Lethbridge, Alberta. In 1963, she returned to BC with her husband and young family, first to Greenwood and then to Vancouver.

Toshiye was fun-loving with a great sense of humour, easy-going, hardworking and hated to lose in anything. She enjoyed being with her family, food, the casino, card games, gardening, puzzles, knitting and needlepoint.

She was predeceased by her husband Mitsuo in 2002, her parents Riki (Nishimoto) and Kumejiro Matsumoto, her brothers Masanari (Chiye) and Yoshiyaki (Miyoko), and her sisters Chieko (Tom Matsumoto), Ayako (Koichi Tsukamoto) and Miyuki.

She will be remembered by her children, Ron (Lily) and Elaine, with countless memories. She is also survived by her brother-in-law, Harry Sekiya, and numerous nieces and nephews.

We would like to express our deepest gratitude to the team at Royal Ascot Care Centre for the care and compassionate support they provided to Toshiye. We would also like to acknowledge our appreciation to Christopher and Vanessa for their dedication and warm welcome when Toshiye arrived at her new home on January 9, 2019.

In lieu of flowers and koden, please consider making a donation to your favourite charity.

A memorial service will be held on Friday, January 19, 2024, at 1:00 pm at Vancouver Memorial Services and Crematorium, 5505 Fraser Street, Vancouver.