Hatsui, sometimes known as Mama Rose, was born in Japan in 1926 and grew up there through World War II. In 1954 she met Baceleo (Cass) Castellano, a career U.S. Army soldier stationed in Japan. They married and had a daughter before moving to Hawaii, where the family added two sons. In 1961 the family moved to California when Cass was transferred to Fort Ord. Almost immediately Cass was stationed overseas, leaving Hatsui, who could speak only minimal English, to raise three young children on her own for two years. She could not drive, but she rode the bus to Cannery Row to pick up and deliver ties she hand-sewed for Robert Talbott Ties. She became a single mom again during the Viet Nam War, when Cass was stationed there in the 1970’s. She learned to drive and continued to work for Robert Talbott Ties until she retired.
Hatsui’s first love was always her family. She took pride in being a good provider of all the family’s domestic needs. She welcomed her children’s friends and any visiting relatives as if they had always been a beloved part of her life.
Hatsui is predeceased by her husband, Cass, and is survived by a daughter, Patricia and sons, Jay and Danny. She is also survived by two sisters in Japan, Tatsuko and Hiroko; son-in-law, Richard; daughters-in-law, Sandra and Kim; seven grandchildren, Alison, Kacie, Christine, Zachary, Matthew, Andrew and Ryan and three grandchildren, Katie, Colton and Wyatt.
