Mitsue Miyata Thomas

Born on Dec 1st 1926 my Mother, Mitsue Miyata Thomas has passed away today March 22nd just after midnight she was 93. Her life sent her all over the world and she really loved being stationed in Europe and she made sure her family saw most of Europe while we were there. Her childhood was spent mostly in Formosa [now Taiwan] when the Japanese held the island. When the outbreak of WWII happened they went back to Japan. After the war the American Army occupied Japan to rebuild and settle affairs for the country. Lo and behold there was a soldier in that occupying army, my father, Robert Thomas who happened to notice a young lady working for the Americans in an office on base and by fate they fell in love and had a traditional Japanese wedding in Jan 1951. They had one son James born in Japan and their two other sons Leon and Howard were born in the states. She was naturalized as an American in 1957 in Wichita, Kansas. She was an exceptional seamstress and used to, in the day, make her own dresses and also knitted wool sweaters for her sons. She was so good at sewing she was hired to sew all by hand the very first artificial heart valves made from pig heart valves for human beings. After my Dad retired in 1973 from the Air Force after being bounced around as a military family to Kansas, Colorado, Oklahoma, Germany(twice) and finally Montana, they settled in Yorba Linda, Ca. She then knew that she would spend the rest of their lives there. Unfortunately she was widowed on Jan 1,1988 and spent the rest of her time loving Yorba Linda. She is survived by her sons Leon and wife Kathryn and Howard and his wife Joanne with 5 grandchildren Lea, Erin, Michael, Luke, Drew and 4 great grandchildren Bruce, Bain, Baxter and Makenna. She was the strength and the center of our family and personally I wouldn't be who I am today without her. We loved her so much and will miss her forever. Thank You Mom for being who you are. She will rest in peace with her son James and husband Robert at Arlington Riverside National Cemetery