Chie U. Farinelli, mother and grandmother (Obaasan to her family), age 92, passed away March 10, 2023, at MacKenzie Place, Colorado Springs, CO. She left this world peacefully with family by her side after living with dementia for 12 years.
Born on August 14, 1930, in Zushi, Japan, Chie lived a happy childhood looking forward to school and becoming the “ring-leader” and mischief maker in her circle of friends and classmates. Although she grew up during World War II, she and her family were fortunate to survive the war unharmed. Nonetheless, that conflict would change her life in many ways.
After the war, Chie found work as a secretary for the U.S. Army in Yokohama, Japan. There she caught the eye of a young American soldier working in a nearby office—the soon-to-be love of her life, Costanzo “Gus” J. Farinelli. Gus managed to find an excuse to frequently walk by the secretarial pool where Chie worked to say hello and make small talk despite the language barrier. Their friendship turned to romance and they were married in 1950.
Not long after their marriage, the Korean War ignited and Gus shipped out to Busan, South Korea, to serve with the Eighth U.S. Army. Chie remained in Japan, only 600 miles away, concerned for his safety and hoping for his quick return. Wartime operations had Gus ranging up and down the Korean Peninsula. On his second time south of Suwon, he learned of Chie giving birth to their son, Kenji. Gus later wrote “It was the best day of my life.”
After the war, Gus returned to Chie and Kenji in Japan, and they journeyed to Penn Yan, NY, in the Finger Lakes region of the state to start their life as a family. Despite residual American animosity toward Japanese nationals sparked by WWII, the Farinelli family (especially Grandma Beatrice and sisters-in-law Mary and Rose) welcomed Chie with open arms. She quickly adapted to American life, learning English and becoming an exceptional cook of Italian and Japanese dishes. While there, Chie gave birth to their daughter, Sara. Her arrival was also a happily celebrated event. After a short stint as a civilian, wanderlust got the better of Gus. He returned to Army service and together with Chie embarked on a life-long journey filled with many adventures and travel, which included homes in Virginia, South Carolina, Japan (twice), Texas, France, and Colorado (twice), with many stops in between. They eventually settled in Seattle, Washington, in 1972 when Gus retired from the Army. Even after Army service, Chie and Gus continued to travel to places as diverse as Hong Kong, China, and locations throughout the U.S. Later, Chie continued her travels, this time to Antigua (West Indies) and Thailand to visit Sara and her husband Paul during his State Department assignments there.
When Gus passed in 1989 from cancer, Chie remained in Seattle, Washington, continuing to work for Boeing Employees Credit Union (BECU) where she was a valued member of their financial team. According to friends and associates at BECU, she was the “go-to” person in her department. When she retired in 1997, she decided to move to Colorado Springs, Colorado, to be closer to her grandchildren.
Settling in Colorado Springs for the third time in her life, she became active in her homeowners association and the senior Solos group at the local Catholic parish (Holy Apostles). She enjoyed shopping, traveling, staying in shape, line dancing, and playing cards where she was very competitive. Unfortunately, in 2011 Chie began to show signs of dementia which progressed slowly, but made it unsafe for her to drive or live independently without assistance. She entered assisted living at MacKenzie Place in Colorado Springs shortly after and as the dementia progressed finally entered memory care in 2018. She remained spirited in life and her independent streak kept the MacKenzie staff and our family on our toes until the recent and rapid decline in her health.
Chie led a full life overcoming many obstacles along the way: rising above a limited formal education; making the decision to marry a gaijin (a foreigner of non-Japanese ethnicity) and journeying to a distant and foreign country to make a new home; becoming fluent in a new language and studying hard to become an American citizen; leaving behind her ancestors’ religion to embrace the Roman Catholic faith. Through it all she showed courage, patience, and persistence. In these very personal, but extremely important decisions, she exemplified what the American experience truly means and what this country stands for.
Chie is survived by her son, Kenji Farinelli (Janice Piccioli), daughter Sara Farinelli (Paul Howard), grandchildren Melissa, Greg, and Olivia Farinelli, sisters Teruko and Yoshie, and many nieces and nephews in the U.S. and Japan.
We would like to thank the staff at MacKenzie Place for their constant, kind, and engaging care over the many years Chie lived there. We are also grateful to Gentiva Hospice for their compassionate care in the final weeks of Chie’s life. Swan-Law Funeral Directors, Colorado Springs, and Evergreen Washelli Funeral Home, Seattle, are coordinating travel, services, and burial.
Burial will be at Evergreen Washelli Memorial Park in Seattle, WA, on March 28, 2023, at 2:00 PM Pacific Daylight Time. Chie will be buried beside her husband Costanzo “Gus” Farinelli, Sergeant First Class, US Army, Retired.
A memorial mass will be said in remembrance of Chie at a later date at Holy Apostles Catholic Church, Colorado Springs, CO.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to either the Alzheimer's Association (https://www.alz.org/) or Dementia Society Inc. (http://www.dementiasociety.org/).
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.Swan-Law.com for the Farinelli family.
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