Mary Tawara

Mary Tawara was born Mary Aigaki in Rocky Ford, Colorado on March 9, 1923. She was the sixth child of eight brothers and sisters, and lived and worked on the family farm until she completed high school.

After completing high school Mary enrolled in sewing school in Denver and became an accomplished seamstress, a skill which endured until very late in her life.

In 1949 Mary married Tosh Tawara. Tosh was born in Peru, but through an agreement between the United States and the government of Peru during World II, Peruvian Japanese were relocated into camps in the United States, which is how Tosh and his family came to be in Colorado.

Mary and Tosh had four children: Bruce, Daryl, Karen, and Charlene. In addition to working various part-time jobs, such as Tang’s Imports, Mary worked side by side with Tosh in his gardening business, as did the children as soon as they were old enough.

Tosh passed away in 1989, but Mary continued to be active with the Buddhist Temple and was a member of the choir until fairly recently. Mary occupied her time by caring for the house, yard, character pines, and gardens on the family property on Montview Blvd. in Aurora, where her grandchildren spent many memorable hours.

In 1999, Mary relocated to a smaller home on Salida Circle in Aurora, but still remained active in gardening, maintaining her yard to such high standards that she was the envy of the neighborhood. Her love of gardening was so great that from 1999 through 2004 she worked with her son Daryl in his gardening business. Finally, the years began to take their toll, and Mary was forced to “retire” from commercial gardening.

In recent years, Mary began showing signs of Alzhiemer’s disease, but was able to continue to live in the comfort of her own home as the schedules of her children allowed them to visit her on a daily basis and provide for her needs and her safety. Mary died peacefully at home on the morning of Thursday, October 2, 2014.

Mary is survived by her four children, 7 grandchildren, and 3 great-grandchildren: her son Bruce, his wife Barb,and their daughter Carissa; son Daryl and his children Stephanie, Stacie, and Kyle, and Stacie’s three children Keiko, Tomiko, and Toshi; daughter Karen and her husband Michael; daughter Charlene and her children Scott, Jason and Ashley.

Bruce Tawara 303-489-7524

Arrangements under the direction of Olinger Highland Mortuary & Cemetery, Thornton, CO.