Sonoko Nishi Obituary (1929

Sonoko Nishi passed away peacefully August 30, 2019 surrounded by her children. She was 90. Nine decades is a long time and before she passed, she said, "Ive had a good life." She was born March 4, 1929 in Wapato, Washington where she spent her young years with her Japanese immigrant parents and her five other siblings. They farmed on the Indian reservation along Lateral A. Like many families during that time, they worked hard, but were very poor. In 1942, with the outbreak of WWII, she and her family were taken from their farm to the Portland Exposition Stockyards (along with other people of Japanese ancestry) where they stayed in converted animal stalls until they were eventually relocated behind a vast barbed-wire fence at the Heart Mountain Internment camp in a desolate part of Wyoming. Although the incarceration was very difficult for everyone, she was able to be a teenager and go to school and participate in clubs and sports within the camp. After the war, her family made their way to Chicago where Sonoko finished high school and attended community college. She always talked proudly of her first real job as an office worker with Snap-On Tools. As a young adult in Chicago, she was on trend with her teeny-waisted circle skirts, pointy-toed heels and pearls. She enjoyed a social life with friends from work and church and was part of a bowling league. Her husband, Sam Nishi, courted her while in Chicago and they married November 14, 1959. They honeymooned driving across the United States back to Zillah, WA where she joined him on the farm and together, they raised three children. They enjoyed many years of attending sporting events and school activities. Sonoko loved her family very much and spent her time caring for them: cooking, baking, canning, sewing, knitting, crafting, gardening, hosting. She taught her children the value of respect, love and "ga-man." Gaman is a Japanese word that translates to perseverance, tolerance and patience. In other words, "suck it up and just keep going." She taught them to bowl and many an afternoon was spent at Minda Lanes in Yakima. She liked following fashion and she loooved to shop. Getting a bargain would make it even sweeter. When Sam had a debilitating stroke, she became a relentless caregiver. She had to learn the business of the farm and how to save for retirement. When one of her kids was filling out a form and it asked for their mothers occupation, she told them to fill in "domestic engineer." She kept things moving forward on the home front. Her "retirement" years led her back to the workforce at the Toppenish Review, a small independent local newspaper and to volunteer at the ladies auxiliary gift shop that supported the hospital in Toppenish. She belonged to a peculiar book club where they each read different books and then got together to talk about ALL the books. A bout with stomach cancer took her down for a while but she survived and bounced back. Her children encouraged her to travel and she tagged along on many trips across the country and internationally. She had special relationships with all her siblings and enjoyed several reunions over the years that would bring laughter and stories late into the night. Grandchildren near and far kept her busy remembering birthdays, shopping for gifts and when they visited, cooking up hot bowls of noodles. She took long walks on the farm behind her home and would revel at the amazing sunsets that would grace the evening sky. She will be reunited with her beloved: her husband Sam; her parents Kyokuo and Natsuko; her brothers, Tetsuo and Keiji; her sister, Yaeko; as well as many close friends and relatives. She will be missed by her sisters, Minako and Momoko; her children Jon (Sylvia), Roger (Heidi), and Jana (Tony); her grandchildren Olivia, Sam, Kobe, Emmalee, Nicholas and Zachary, and numerous in-laws, nieces, nephews and friends as old and wise as she. We love you! See you in Heaven! Her family extends their sincerest thanks to the thoughtful and amazing staff at Fieldstone Orchardwest who cared for her in her little apartment. To Lucia and Virginia who cared for her during the years following hip surgery and to Dr. Julie A. Ricking who always gave mom the time she needed to listen and answer questions. And to the hospice team from Virginia Mason Memorial Hospital for helping us through the final days. A memorial will be held Tuesday, September 10, 2019 at 11:00am at Shaw & Sons Funeral Home, 201 N. 2nd Street, Yakima, Washington 98901. If you have questions please call 509 453 0331 Online condolences can be left for the family at www.shawandsons.com. Memorial contributions can be made to Fieldstone Orchardwest Cascadia Assistance Fund or KYVE Public television station. Donations may be sent C/O Shaw & Sons Funeral Home, 201 N. 2nd Street, Yakima, WA 98901. Funeral Service Shaw and Sons Funeral Home Tuesday, September 10, 2019 11:00 AM 201 N 2nd St. Yakima, Washington 98901