Haruto Sekijima

Haruto (Harpo) Sekijima

How did he get the nickname Harpo? In 1942, at Camp Harmony in Puyallup, where the Japanese Americans were taken before internment, Dad played pinochle with some of the older guys after he got off work – brother Miz, Art Abe & some of the Nishitani gang. The group decided that “Haruto” was too big a name for this kid, so someone came up with “Harpo” and it stuck.

Harpo was 9 when his father died. Since his mother had to work 2 jobs, Hideki, almost 4 years older, ran the household, & Miz, 2 years older, did the cooking. Harpo had the luxury of remaining “just a kid.”

As a patrol boy in grade school, Harpo was smitten by the sight of Toki in his crosswalk. Toki claims she was unaware of his existence. Still, fate won out. They married in this church in 1949 & marked their 62nd anniversary this past August 14. Their abiding mutual love was a given & their family grew up on the bedrock of their good marriage. Dad often said, “Marrying her was the best thing I ever did.” Dad was still in medical school when Margie appeared in 1951, Janet in 1953, John in 1956 & Bob in 1958. Allegedly, we were ALL surprises.

When Toki and Harpo moved to Bellevue in 1956, Seattle seemed far away across the water. And in the early ‘60s, Overlake Hospital was just a start-up run out of barracks. 1 of the 3 first anesthesiologists, Harpo happily worked there until his retirement in 1991.

Dad worked hard & played harder. He skied downhill out of control & loved roaring around in his homemade wooden hydroplane at Camano Island - the more kids screamed, the happier he was. Always sure to be first up the trail at Mount Rainier, he never learned to be a gracious loser. The family apologizes to the entire Gourmet Golf Club.

For the last 27 years, Harpo’s greatest happiness arrived with his 7 grandchildren: Carrie, Aki, Jayna, Lori, Sarah, Kim and Matthew. He delighted in the gifts and uniqueness of each, and never failed to light up when one of them came to visit.

Harpo’s top mottos were: “It’s fun, isn’t it kids?” & “We’re lucky ‘cause we have each other.” Yes, it’s been a wonderful life with you - Husband, Brother, Father, Uncle, Grandpa & Friend. We honor you and give thanks for your 86 good years, and long presence in our lives. May God continue to bless you, always.