Anna May Sasaki

Ann was born in 1933 in Cleveland, Ohio, the third out of six children of Wah and Shee Huey Louie, who immigrated from Canton, China. The Louie family lived in Cleveland Chinatown on Rockwell Avenue between 21st and 24th. Her father operated the Sam Wah Yick Kee grocery store and led On Leong, the Chinese Merchants Association.

Ann graduated from East High School in 1951 and applied to The Ohio State University. She was only one of two women and the sole Asian American in the math program.

During the summer after her freshman year at OSU, she met Saburo Sasaki. From then on, they were inseparable. Ann and Sab married in 1955 after her OSU graduation.

Ann took her first post-college job at the NASA Glenn Research Center at Lewis Field in Cleveland. As a woman working in a technical role, she had unknowingly become one of the hidden figures in the space program.

In 1965, General Motors transferred Sab to Adrian, Mich. There he and Ann built a house and happily raised their two children. With a small group of women, Ann helped start Adrian Community Nursery which still operates. During summers, Ann and Sab took their family camping out west.

In 1980 now living in Rochester Hills, Mich., Ann returned to work as a reliability engineer for General Motors Truck & Bus. Standing tall at 4’9”, she served as the truck design petite standard, vital for the minimum placement of seats and seat belts. In the fall, Ann and Sab loved hosting tailgates for their children, who were members of the University of Michigan Marching Band.

In retirement, Ann and Sab continued camping. For nearly 20 years, they drove over 5,000 miles annually to volunteer at the Manzanar National Historic Site in Independence, Calif., where Sab was incarcerated during World War II as one of 110,000 Japanese Americans. Ann assisted the visitor center and worked in Manzanar’s archives. Sab served as a Manzanar living witness by talking to visitors and presenting educational programs.

In 2015, the National Park Service recognized Ann and Sab with the George and Helen Hartzog Award for Enduring Service (now Excellence in Volunteerism Award) due to their commitment.

Ann is survived by her beloved husband of nearly 71 years, Saburo; children, David (Viviana Quintero) and Julie Sasaki-Hom (Richard Hom); grandchildren, Isabella Hom and Alexander Hom; sister Rose Hong (Andrew) of Cleveland Heights, Ohio; sister Alice Chen (Michael) of Rochester, Minn., sister Wanda Au (the late George) of Sacramento, Calif., sister-in-law Emma Louie of Bakersfield, Calif.; and many relatives and friends.

She is preceded in death by her parents, sister Ruby Pong (William) and brother James Louie.

Ann chose to participate in the Body Donation Program at the Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine.

Ann requested no memorial service. Contributions can be made to Adrian Community Preschool, 876 Addison Street, Adrian, Michigan, 49221.