Ritsu Saimoto

June 26, 1933 - March 26, 2024

Ritsu was born on June 26th, 1933 in Vancouver at her parents’ drycleaning/dress-making shop, De Luxe Cleaners, at 4188 Main Street. Her parents were Denzo and Masa Enjo, who were born and married in Japan. Ritsu was the third of four children: Eiko (1928 – 1955), Masataka (1929 – 1948), Ritsu and Denny (b. 1940).

Ritsu, and her parents with baby Denny, were interned in March 1942, three months after the bombing of Pearl Harbour and the outbreak of WWII. Ritsu’s two older siblings had been in Japan with the family intending to reunite, but with the declaration of war on Japan, it was not possible. Ritsu and the family of four were interned in Bridge River, a self-supporting Internment Camp, from 1942-1945, and then moved to the East Lillooet self-supporting Internment Camp from 1945-1949. Ritsu graduated from high school in Lillooet in 1949.

Upon moving back to Vancouver in 1950, Ritsu and family lived in West Vancouver’s Dundarave neighbourhood and reopened De Luxe Tailors. Ritsu also attended UBC and graduated in Home Economics in 1958.

Ritsu’s first teaching job was in Cranbrook, BC. She then taught at Hamilton High School in North Vancouver, until she married Cy Saimoto in 1968. As ‘late-bloomers’, Ritsu and Cy immediately started a family and had three children, Mark, Laura and Debra.

Ritsu was a great mother, homemaker and party-entertaining hostess. She raised the family and was the ‘woman behind the man’ in Cy’s business management. Together, they served greatly in the Japanese Canadian community, continuing the legacy from their parents. They were very active at the Vancouver Buddhist Temple. Ritsu was a leader in the women’s auxiliary, Fujinkai, with the highlight of chairing the 1990 World Buddhist Women’s Convention.

Together, Ritsu and Cy, also served at the Vancouver Japanese Language School & Hall, where Ritsu had attended before the war. She was a leading force in the women’s auxiliary there, the Boshikai, and organized many, many events and fundraisers. One of the highlights was the 2006 Centennial Celebration of the organization.

Ritsu was also a long-serving member of the University Women’s Club and chaired events such as Christmas at Hycroft. She very much loved getting everyone working together to create a wonderful experience for the public.

She was well-respected and well-known for the standards that she maintained and the quality control she enthusiastically endorsed at all events, particularly for food preparation! She loved entertaining at home and really loved hosting the holidays of Christmas and Thanksgiving.

After Cy passed in 2010, Ritsu continued serving in the community, less in committee work, but in volunteering and enjoying friends and camaraderie. As she began to experience memory-loss, she moved to Sunrise Senior Living in 2017 and began her last Earth-life chapter. She enjoyed her final seven years with all the activities, events and action at Sunrise. With her strong and elegant personality, she was very popular and became known, or ‘crowned’, as ‘Queen Ritsu’!

She was a woman of strength and fortitude, as well as care and generosity. Ritsu’s earthly journey ended on March 26, 2024, but her spirit and legacy will continue on. She will be dearly missed by her family: Mark & Grace (Jina & David), Laura, and Deb; brother Den & Kimiko, nieces & nephews Dan & Ian, Miho & Braden (Tyce & Taylor), and Dean. Brothers- and sisters-in-law Shig, Sayo, Joanne & Aki, and Chris and many nephews and nieces as well as in Shigaken, Japan.

A celebration of her life will be held on Wednesday, April 3rd, 11:00am at the Vancouver Buddhist Temple, 220 Jackson Avenue. In lieu of koden, please kindly donate to a charity of choice or to one of Ritsu’s passions: Vancouver Buddhist Temple; Vancouver Japanese Language School & Hall; the Alzheimer Society of BC.