Toyoko Inoue Belcher

Waynesboro, VA

Toyoko “Toni” Inoue Belcher, 87, passed away peacefully in the early hours of Wednesday, 23 March 2022 at her home in Waynesboro, Virginia, intimately surrounded by her three sons, two daughter-in-laws and a family friend.

Toyoko was born on March 31, 1934, at Yokoomen, Sasebo-City, Nagasaki, Japan. She was the fifth daughter of Hajime and Suyo Hisano Inoue of Sasebo, Japan and granddaughter of Sataro Inoue and Fusayo Inumaru Inoue of Sasebo City, Japan.

She is survived by one sister Fumiko Katsuki of Sasebo-City, Nagasaki, Japan; one brother, Naohiko Inoue of Machida-City, Tokyo, Japan; her three sons, James Robert Belcher Jr (Sandi) of Waynesboro VA, William Hoyt Belcher (Patricia) of Chesapeake VA, and Jack Franklin Belcher of Waynesboro VA; grandchildren James Robert Belcher III of Atlanta GA, Robert Joseph Belcher of Waynesboro VA, Amalia Marie Belcher of Charlottesville VA, Ayla Elizabeth Belcher of Portsmouth VA, Alexis Kioko Belcher of Waynesboro VA and Victoria Grace Belcher of Waynesboro VA; great granddaughter Akira Shea Belcher of Atlanta GA; and numerous cousins, nephews and nieces in Japan.

She was preceded in death by parents Hajime and Suyo Inoue of Sasebo, Japan; husband James Robert Belcher originally of Abbeville AL; brothers Kazuhiro and Kenkichi; sisters Tazuko, Toshiko and Yohko all of Sasebo, Japan.

Only three years old when the Second Sino-Japanese War began, Toyoko spent most of her childhood in a nation at war or occupation. Toyoko's family story includes her older brother Kazuhiro serving most of World War II in the Imperial Japanese Army and her father Hajime having been at Nagasaki on August 9, 1945. Toyoko's own experiences included three schools bombed and burnt to the ground, frequently huddling with younger siblings in a shelter as bombs fell above ground and witnessing an American fighter strafe people so close she described the pilot's features...”He was bald, red face and BIG eyes, like a BUG!” Toyoko was 11 years old when Japan surrendered. Her homeland then began years of foreign occupation. She recalled early on learning “the truth” when, huddling in fear in their home as American soldiers walked by, the GIs would generously toss needed items like soap, toilet paper and candy into the yards. The children would scramble to collect the items, but would not eat the candy for fear it was poisoned. She said children had not seen candy since the war started. Then one day the GIs came by, tossed more staples and one soldier, having realized why the children did not immediately eat the candy, bent over and picked one piece off the ground at random, unwrapped it and popped it in his mouth. Toyoko stated, “That is the moment I realized we had been lied to”, referring to her government and their taught fear of Americans. From that day forward she said she loved America.

In December of 1952 in Sasebo she met a young US Navy sailor during a USS Estero AKL-5 crew holiday party and fell in love almost immediately. Her first and only love, James R Belcher, was a WWII veteran and currently involved in the Korean War. Their budding relationship was certainly complicated by his being a survivor of the sinking of his first US Navy ship on 30 July 1945, the heavy cruiser USS Indianapolis CA-35. After having delivered the first atomic bomb to Tinian and the Enola Gay on 26 July 1945, the Indianapolis was torpedoed four days later between Guam and Leyte by the Imperial Japanese Submarine I-58 resulting in five long days stranded at sea and only 316 survivors from a crew of 1195, the greatest loss of life by a warship at sea in US Navy history.

In 1955 Toyoko and James married in Japan. In 1957 their first son James Jr was born at Yokosuka Naval Hospital. Later that year they traveled to the United States living in San Diego CA, then Bainbridge MD. In 1958 their second son William was born and in 1960 their third son Jack was born, both at NTC Bainbridge MD. Toyoko became a naturalized American citizen in 1963. The family was separated by an unaccompanied tour overseas for James with Toyoko and her boys moving to Abbeville, Alabama. Soon after they relocated to the west coast and rejoined James in Alameda, Long Beach, San Pedro CA, then back east to Norfolk, Portsmouth and Chesapeake VA. James retired from the Navy in July 1969. In Dec 1969 Toyoko and children joined James in his second career in Waynesboro VA. Toyoko raised her three sons and in the early 1970s she began working at Augusta Cleaners in Waynesboro as an alterations seamstress until her retirement in the 1990s. She and James traveled and enjoyed retirement until he passed in May 2001. Their forty-nine year story together was a testament to love, strength, perseverance, commitment, tolerance and forgiveness.

She never remarried, focusing on her children, grandchildren and great granddaughter and enjoying many special days with her best friend Akiko “Mary” Akita Fink of Waynesboro.

In her final years Toyoko bravely endured Type I diabetes, congestive heart failure and dementia. With her family rallying around her, she was never alone. She also never lost her sense of humor, her smile, or her deep love of family both in the USA and in Japan. Upon the death of her husband in 2001 her three sons told her, “Mom, you've done a wonderful job. You raised us, educated us, we have families. It's ok if you want to go home now.” Her response to that was simply, “But I AM home.”

And you are now home. We will all join you again soon. We love you and miss you so very much.

Funeral will be on Friday April 22nd, 2022, at 2pm at Augusta Memorial Cemetery in Augusta County VA. A Celebration of Toyoko's Life will be held following the graveside service at 3pm at 331 Alphin Avenue, Waynesboro VA. The Belcher family wishes all to please attend either or both and share one last memory of her with us.

Cards may be sent in her name to Jim Belcher Jr at 1141 Greendale Road, Waynesboro, VA 22980. Memorial donations in lieu of flowers may be made to The American Diabetes Association, the American Heart Association, the Alzheimer's Foundation or the USS Indianapolis CA-35 Legacy Organization.

Family and friends may share condolences and memories with the family online by visiting www.reynoldshamrickfuneralhomes.com