Kimiko I Kolbrener

She was predeceased by her parents (Seisho and Tsuru (nee Ishihara) Ikehara and survived by her husband, Colonel (Retired) Fred Kolbrener, two daughters (Sandra and Judith), two sons-in-law (Richard and Daniel), two granddaughters (Shannon and Paige), a grandson-in-law (Seth), two great grandchildren (Brice and Reagan), a sister (Mitsuko), brother-in-law (Eitoku), numerous nieces and nephews, and grand nephews who live in Okinawa. She celebrated 54 years of marriage on August 30, 2022.

Kimiko worked at both the Edgewood Arsenal (Aberdeen Proving Ground) and Fort Belvoir Officers' Clubs. She was an avid bowler and participated weekly in the Officer’s Wives Bowling Club and annually brought home award pins for high series, 500 series and other achievements.

A member of Okinawa Kai of Washington DC, she enjoyed the annual Spring Shin Shun Kai festival and the Fall picnics. She also was a participant in the Japan American Care Fund bi-monthly luncheons and the annual “Respect for Elders Day’ luncheons held in Potomac, MD. She greatly enjoyed listening to Okinawan folk songs and watching Okinawan dancing.

While her husband served in Vietnam, she lived in New York caring for her children. Later she moved to Fort McClellan, Alabama where she learned to drive and then to Aberdeen Proving Ground MD, followed by a move to the Saint Louis area where she remained while her husband was subsequently assigned to Panama, a country that she was able to visit once. She moved to Woodbridge in 1990, where she was living prior to her death. In 2007, she enjoyed a trip to Nevada and visited the Grand Canyon firsthand from a helicopter and then by train.

After she suffered a stroke in May 2013, she fought her way back to a life that was not quite as it had been before, but she was able to visit her family, travel, and attend cultural events. She enjoyed traveling and she made several trips to Okinawa over the years to visit her mother and her sister’s family; she also enjoyed time she spent at the Walt Disney World parks in Florida. One of her early childhood dreams was to visit New York City which she did in 1971. Over the years, she was also able to visit Niagara Falls, Canada; Paris, France; Warsaw, Poland; Panama City, Panama; London, England; and Ireland, plus several cities in the US. While on her honeymoon in October 1968, she had her first eye-opening encounter with snow at Hakone Spa where 6 inches fell overnight - something she never forgot.

Kimiko loved flowers, and her garden included roses, peonies, irises, agapanthus, a Japanese Cherry tree, gardenias, and, of course, a hibiscus. Their continued annual blooming will be a constant reminder of her vibrant life. She will be interred in Arlington National Cemetery later in the Spring.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that friends make donations in her name to Okinawa Kai of Washington, DC, or the Japan American Care Fund or a charity of their choice.