Eiko May, born 28 December 1925, suddenly but peacefully slipped away on 15 June 2021, reminding us “… ye know neither the day nor the hour…” Eiko was predeceased by her father, Hatsutaro Higure (ca.1945) and her mother, Teru Nakamura (ca.1985). She was twice widowed, from Robert James “Wally” Wollaston (d.1955), and from Alden ‘Gordon’ May (d.2019). She bore witness to the deaths of her siblings: brothers, Toru and Kinuemon; sister, Sachiko, and of her children: son, Marvin, and daughter, Marlene. She is survived by her brother, Terumoto Hamashima, of Tokyo; son, Tami (Thomas) Wollaston, and wife Adriane, of Phoenix; daughter Nancy, and husband Denis Markey, of Prescott, AZ. Eiko was blessed with grandchildren: Kathleen Markey, and husband Mark McKenzie, of Anthem, AZ, and their children, Kylie, Rowan, and Kate; and Preston Wollaston and wife Yvonne Brook, of Phoenix, and his daughter, Daedree, Oahu, HI; and many nieces, and nephews in Japan, in whom, her memory will live on.
Eiko was proud to be both a 3rd generation resident of Tokyo. Hers was an artistic family with her grandfather known for shading / inking hanga (woodblock prints) and she enjoyed viewing Japanese art throughout her life. Both she and Toru were trained in Western oil painting.
She survived World War II, but spoke of hunger and hardships. She remembered her mother boiling spinach for broth to supplement their nutrition. After the war, she took classes in yosai, Western clothing sewing. As a student of history, she often spoke of the many changes in Japan she had seen in her lifetime: both cultural and technological.
In 1950, she married Robert Wollaston, a US sailor. They were baptized together as Roman Catholics. They enjoyed music and ballroom dancing. Eiko was once scouted by a record label for her singing. She learned to play the guitar, and the tashio-goto. Later, she passed that love of music to their children with Tami playing drums, and Nancy playing piano.
Their life together was cut short when he died in an automobile accident. She came to the US for the first time for his burial in Dunkirk, New York. She realized just how big and beautiful America was, with the multi-day train ride from the Pacific coast to the Northeast. She always remembered how kind Americans were to her, as a war widow.
In 1966, she married Gordon May who was serving an extended tour as a Radio Repairman for the USAF Far East Network (FEN), in Asaka, Saitama, Japan. She and Gordon both loved photography and visited many scenic gardens and temples in the ancient cities of Kyoto & Nara.
In 1968, they returned to the US and settled in Tucson, as Gordon had fallen in love with the harsh beauty of Mount Lemmon while serving at its radar station; but for Eiko, the desert climate was something of a shock. Gordon joined the Tucson Fire Department and Eiko worked as a seamstress. She loved all manner of amimono (fabric crafts): embroidery, knitting/crochet, weaving, quilting, and Japanese doll making. They lived here together for 53 years.
Eiko & Gordon were determined to give Marlene a full and rich life, despite her heart surgeries. Eiko sewed a Halloween cowgirl costume that Marlene loved to wear with boots, hat, and her toy ‘six-shooter’ on her hip. Marlene’s too early passing devastated them. They found a certain solace in the care and sponsoring of other children through Christian educational and development charities.
Eiko wanted her grandchildren to be proud of their Japanese heritage. In 1979, she organized a family trip to Japan for them to meet their extended family and see where she had grown up. That trip and many summer visits to Grandma’s house – visiting the drapery shop, going with Grandma to buy fabric, eating sticky rice balls – are now precious memories for Kathleen.
Here at home, she sewed kendo, Japanese sword fencing, uniforms for Preston; and introduced Kathleen, and later, Daedree, to the many details of kimono wearing. She was a frequent visitor to the annual Phoenix Matsuri. Her whole family enjoyed her delicious Japanese food!
But Eiko was happy to have become an American. She watched Julia Child to learn Western cooking and was a big fan of Cajun Justin Wilson. She was proud of Kylie’s tennis rankings. And she could eat Denny’s pancakes and McDonald’s French fries with the best of them.
Eiko and Gordon were enthusiastic members of the Japanese Christian Church of Tucson. After their retirement, they also shared the Gospel as Evangelical Ministers while traveling to as Kenya and Madagascar. Eiko said, “Growing up, I never expected to see as much of the world as I did. I’m glad I got to go.”
Gordon spent his last years as Eiko’s caregiver and was always worried about getting her favorite things from the store. After Gordon’s passing, she moved to Phoenix to be closer to family.
The May Family is grateful to Karen and Anita from Bella’s Care Home and Kara, NP, of Hospice of the Valley who went above and beyond during the COVID lockdown.
Services will be held on Friday, June 25th, beginning at 11:30 a.m. While there are no ‘social distancing’ requirements, please use the provided masks to observe the masking guidelines while inside the Chapel.
Remote Viewing will be provided through the facebook.com/EastLawnPalms beginning, approximately, at 11:25 a.m. June 25th.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Special Olympics of Arizona.
The May Family would like to thank Reverend Bud Savage, of the Tucson Baptist Church, for his kind remembrance of his friend and neighbor, Eiko May.
"This is the day that the LORD
hath made; let us Rejoice
and be Glad in it.” Psalms 118: 24
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