Grace Shigeko Shinohara

1-23-1928 to 3-15-2014

Japan

Born in Kobe Japan on January 23, 1928, to the late Shigeharu(father) and Miyako(mother) Goto, into a samurai family line out of Kochi Shikoku. Shigeko was the youngest of 5 in her family which included 3 older brothers and sister: Takaharu, Sumiko(sister), Toyonori, and Yoshiaki. She spent her childhood in the sea side town of Kobe. Father Shigeharu as a steam engine engineer travelled abroad to England for studies. He made a good living which allowed to acquire a piano which unusual for the time encouraged Shigeko's music appreciation. For a while piano music emanated from the only piano around this Kobe neighborhood. Unfortunately the Kobe hillside house burned down during a WWII bombing raid. During the lean years getting enough food to survive was when she learned many of her conservative, don’t throw anything away behaviors that followed her through life. Many times she said, "Do not even let one grain of precious rice left behind on the rice bowl." She graduated Tokyo Nursing College and also studied macrobiotics under Sakurazawa sensei. Sensei had his students take on a western nickname which was used in classroom. He had envisioned his macrobiotic diet/regimen graduates in spreading the word across the globe as missionaries.

Pacific crossing

Having come of age and from a traditional household, Shigeko found herself in an arranged marriage to Michael(not real name) a fellow macrobiotic diet classmate, later to become prominent forward thinker of the macrobiotic diet. Michael set off first to establish a beachhead in the USA and Shigeko was to follow 6 months later to join. It turned out that a female classmate set off after Michael before Shigeko's departure and started a relationship with him. Changes to Michael's relationship status was revealed to Shigeko by her close brother Yoshiaki the day before departure for the USA. In1953 Shigeko age 25 undeterred setoff for the USA the following day departing from Yokohama. During the 2-week ship voyage to San Pedro, she befriended the ship's physician a Japanese American, Dr Yamate and became his nursing assistant. Dr Yamate learned about the marriage arrangement and the status change and became so impressed and concerned about Shigeko's future that he had called his own relatives in Los Angeles in order to have a Yamate contingent meet them at the San Pedro dock. Dr. Yamate had made sure that Shigeko was safe from her arranged marriage and had her go back with the Yamate group to Los Angeles. A perplexed Michael looked on as Grace surrounded by the Yamate contingent receded into Los Angeles.

USA

Grace attended Pasadena City College and met her husband Harry Takahiro Shinohara while at the Rose Parade as a flower girl. As fate would have it Harry also studied macrobiotics under the same sensei as Grace. Grace continued her correspondence with Dr. Yamate where he supported her admission to Swarthmore College, Swarthmore PA, an opportunity she declined to pursue after meeting her husband.

Post war Japan rising out of the ashes to become a manufacturing export giant was still in it's teens. Harry rode this economic trend by starting an import export business with Grace's brother Yoshiaki called TAIYO. The business took the family from Los Angeles to New York and back to Los Angeles. At one time the business venture with YKK occupied an entire floor of the Chrysler building a New York city landmark and the family home was in Larchmont New York.

Grace and Harry married in 1954 , she mothered 4 sons and a daughter, Yuji, Kaoru(daughter),Mitsukuni in Los Angeles. Takuya in New York and Yasuo back in Los Angeles.

The sparkle of the New York business venture went out and Harry returned to Los Angeles to try again. Harry the consumate salesman was a deal maker the daily business accounting was a deal breaker. This ultimately led to the undoing of his business and eventually the marriage by 1972. During this time Grace's mother Miyako lived in and helped raise 5 children at the Van Nuys home. Grace also managed to take up ballroom dancing which she loved with a passion and win some Arthur Murray trophys.

By 1973, Grace separated from her husband, her mother went back to Japan and she faced the fork in the road of fate. Return to Japan or stay in the USA and raise a family. Grace chose to stay. Grace moved to Chula Vista CA with family in tow. Holding onto TAIYO contacts, at 39 years old and needing to place rice on the table, Grace went head first into the workforce at RTA International, while raising five children ranging from 4th grade to High School. At RTA, she was one of the initial employees and a shareholder within organization where she spend most of her times on weekdays and weekends doing her part to keep the company moving in the right direction. In 2004 she retired after 30 years while gaining her status as a permanent resident. Though sheltered within her work and with time to practice as much English as has Spanish, the American dream and her individual expression of a Japanese woman in America stayed the straight and narrow.

Graces retirement years were marred with declining health, prescription medications, appointments that are common for those in their eight decade of life. It was a pace that she was forced to accept. With the company of her son, Takuya, Grace received an extension on life where she was able to receive attention and love that only a son, former Army Sergeant, medic and nurse could only provide 24/7. Having received her goodbyes and farewells from her remaining sons and several grandchildren, she passed away peacefully in her sleep at her home in Chula Vista on March 15, 2014 in the very early morning.

Thank you, we love you , we will miss you...and always remember you...