Tayeko Yoshihara Kitazono

On April 15, 2013, God called home Tayeko, “Taye”, Yoshihara Kitazono (87). Taye is survived by the love of her life, her husband, Lloyd S. Kitazono (88); married for 65 years. She is also survived by beloved daughter, Kathy Kitazono Sakai, husband, Gordon, and son, Lloyd W. Kitazono, wife, Jody L. Kitazono, six (6) grandchildren: Sarah Kitazono Heringer (37), husband, Steve; Elizabeth Kitazono (36), husband, Chris Chung; Aaron Sakai (35); Mary Kitazono Hammell (34), husband, Darren; Loren Sakai (32). wife, Masumi Sakai; Rachel Kitazono (31), husband, Themis Yiaslas; and seven (7) great-grandchildren: Grace Heringer (10), Ella Heringer (8), Nadia Sakai (5), Faith Heringer (4), Kara Kitazono Chung (2), Hope Heringer (1), Loren Sakai, Jr. (2 months).

Taye is also survived by sisters, Mabel, “Mas”, (George) Hashimoto and Clara, “Chiye” (Buster) Ichikawa, brother, Ben (Doris) Yoshihara, sister-in-law, Bernie Yoshihara and brother-in-law, Roy (Yasuko) Takaki.

Taye is preceded in death by her parents, Rimitsu and Kikuyo Yoshihara, sister, Tsukiye Morihiro, brother-in-law, Ed Morihiro, brother, Taro Yoshihara, and sister, Bernice, “Mitsu” Takaki.

Taye was at home sick for three weeks and went to Kaiser So. San Francisco on April 14th at 10 PM and passed away, peacefully at 2:00 AM due to natural causes. Her husband, daughter, son, son-in-law, and granddaughter, Sarah, were with her when she passed away.

Tayeko Yoshihara was born on July 15, 1925, in Milpitas, CA. She was the third of seven children to Rimitsu and Kikuyo Yoshihara who had emigrated from Japan in the early 1900s. Taye grew up on a ranch in north San Jose, where her whole family worked on the farm, both parents and all the children: Tsuki, Taro, Taye, Mas, Chiye, Ben, and Mitsu. Times were hard during the depression years, and then in 1941, World War II began and the family was evacuated to a relocation camp, along with all other Japanese-Americans living on the west coast of the United States. Taye and her family were sent to a relocation camp in Heart Mountain, Wyoming. It was in camp where Taye graduated from high school, Heart Mt. High School, and where she also met and fell in love with a good looking, young man from Gardena, California: Lloyd S. Kitazono.

During the war, Lloyd joined the U.S. Army and he left the relocation camp for boot camp in St. Louis. Taye also went to St. Louis to take a job as a domestic. From St. Louis, Lloyd was transferred to Camp Crowder, Texas and Taye went to New York City to attend The McDowell Designing and Dressmaking School from which she graduated in 1947. After the war, Lloyd joined Taye in New York and they were married on September 19, 1947. Taye worked in the fashion industry designing clothes, and Lloyd became a journeyman auto painter. Their daughter, Kathy Yuri Kitazono, was born in New York on August 15, 1949 and their son, Lloyd Wayne Kitazono, Jr. (Butch) was also born in New York on July 9, 1953.

In early 1954, the family packed up the car and drove to San Jose, California to be close to Taye’s family who had all returned to San Jose after the war. Taye worked out of the family home as a dressmaker for many years. Taye loved sewing and her passion for sewing could only be matched by her talent for sewing. Taye was a life-long San Francisco Giants fan and she spent many hours in her sewing room listening to the Giants game on the radio while she made tailored clothing for her customers.

Taye was a loving mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, and her life revolved around her family in San Jose. She attended all of children’s athletic events, band concerts, and school graduations. She was an active member of Wesley United Methodist Church in Japan town, San Jose, and continued attending this church even after moving to Pacifica in 2002, but she later had to stop attending due to health reasons.

For 20 years, Taye owned Stretch & Sew Fabrics in south San Jose. Taye was proud to be one of the few Nisei women business owners in San Jose.

Taye loved being a grandparent. She and Lloyd took their grandchildren on many summer vacation trips. Each summer, Taye took her four granddaughters to Obon dance practice in Japan town in San Jose, culminating in the annual summer Obon Festival. Taye sewed all of the Obon kimonos for her granddaughters. Taye never missed an important event in the lives of her grandchildren. She attended their sporting events, band concerts, Sunday School Christmas programs, and all high school, college, graduate school, and medical school graduations.

In 2002, Taye and Lloyd moved to Pacifica because they enjoyed fishing and crabbing off the Pacifica pier. Soon after, Taye and Lloyd became great-grandparents. Sarah gave them: Grace, Ella, Faith, and Hope, Aaron gave them Nadia, Elizabeth gave them Kara, and Loren gave them Loren Jr. Life in Pacifica was good for Taye and Lloyd. They continued to host the family birthday celebrations, and annual Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s feasts.

All her adult life Taye loved to sew and she had a sewing room that was packed full of enough buttons, patterns, fabric, and sewing accessories that could set up a fabric store. Besides clothing, Taye sewed quilts, pillows, and dolls, which have become treasured keepsakes for her family and friends.

Taye lived a long, wonderful, and full life. She lived unselfishly, always giving without expecting anything in return, and leaving us nothing but wonderful memories of an amazing woman. She will be missed very much by her entire family, but we know that God must have needed her when he called her home.

A memorial service for Taye will be held at Wesley United Methodist Church at 3:00 PM on May 4, 2013. The church address is 566 North Fifth Street, San Jose, CA 95112. Interment will occur at Oak Hill Memorial Park, 300 Curtner Ave., San Jose, CA 95125.

Those wishing to make donations may make a memorial gift in honor of Tayeko Kitazono to the American Heart Association, 1 Almaden Blvd, San Jose, 95113, (408) 977-4950. You may ask the Heart Association to send an acknowledgement of your donation to: Lloyd Kitazono, 3 Andorra Ct., Pacifica, CA 94044.