Reiko Reye Okano (Ikeda)'s Obituary
Reiko Okano
Reiko passed away peacefully at home, on November 5 , 2017 , surrounded by her loving family, at the age of 94.
Reiko was a strong woman. She suffered many tragedies in her youth, but perhaps that helped to make her who she was, treasuring her family above all else. She was born and raised in Tokyo. Her beloved mother passed away during childbirth, when Reiko was nine years old, leaving her and her older sister, Toshiko, with their father. When she was 13 her father suffered a stroke. They moved from Tokyo to the family's farm house in Chiba, so that relatives could help care for him. Toshiko was 16 and chose to stay in Tokyo. Reiko, bored with farm life, asked to move back to Tokyo to be closer to Toshiko. Her uncle found a wealthy couple in Tokyo, that would take her in as a maid. Shortly thereafter, her sister fell ill. Reiko convinced the couple to allow Toshiko to move in, but when Reiko was 17 , her sister passed away. The following year, she was hired by Chiyoda-kako, a big pharmaceutical company, as clerical help and could afford a modest apartment with her best friend. When she was 20, her father passed away. A few years later, WW2 broke out and fire bombs fell on Tokyo destroying her apartment as well as her place of work. She was 22.
In the year after the war, Americans occupied Japan and Tokyo was being rebuilt. At 23, she met and fell in love with Teiji Frank Okano, a handsome uniformed American soldier from Seattle, at a dance party. The war was over, but Americans stationed in Japan were discouraged from relations with the Japanese, and were forbidden to marry. Teiji filed a request for marriage, but after two years of romance, Teiji was transferred back to the states, unmarried. He pleaded, unsuccessfully, to be returned to his post in Japan and eventually was honorably discharged. He reenlisted, in a continued attempt to be stationed in Japan. Instead, he was deployed to Korea for the Korean War. Marriage was now possible, but being in Korea, he asked his brother, George, who was stationed in Tokyo, to stand in for him. Teiji had finally married Reiko by proxy. It would be two years before they were reunited. As a result, they never celebrated a specific wedding date, but were happily married for over seventy years.
In the early years of their marriage, they lived well in Japan, with children, Patrick, Cathy and Joyce. They enjoyed a vibrant social life, partying at the Washington Heights Officer's Club, dancing, drinking and playing the slot machines. Reiko took lessons in flower arranging, classical Japanese dance, silk flower making, and enjoyed sewing matching dresses for her daughters. Reiko was a shrewd business woman, investing in stocks and real estate, while Teiji worked for the Army and Air Force Exchange. She even opened a small coffee shop and started a business installing portable jukeboxes in restaurants.
In 1967, the US started closing military bases in Japan. Teiji was transferred to Fort Dix, New Jersey, then to Shreveport, Louisiana, where there were "Whites Only" signs and no Asians in sight. Those were tough years for Reiko, not speaking a word of english or being able to drive. After two years, Teiji was transferred to Hawaii, a perfect halfway point, as she always wanted to live in Tokyo and he in Seattle. They played golf together for years until she gave it up at 82. She played poker every Saturday with friends till 89. Until 90, she enjoyed annual trips to Las Vegas with Teiji and Cathy and quit smoking as a pact with her granddaughter, Remy, to quit together.
Reiko was an avid reader, especially Japanese history and mystery books. She loved her vegetable garden, priding herself in her eggplant, tomatoes and daikon- a hobby she shared with her granddaughters.
Reiko played a major role in raising her three granddaughters, even teaching them Japanese. She cooked for her family daily, often a family of ten, with children, grandchildren, and their boyfriends and husbands. Everyone loved her tonkatsu, sukiyaki, tempura, okonomiyaki, and many other Japanese specialties. She complained about all the cooking and cleaning but it never stopped her from preparing the next delicious meal or keeping an impeccably clean home.
Thank you, Mom, for nourishing all of us, and for being such a pillar of strength throughout our lives. We will miss you and will take good care of Dad while he waits to join you.
Reiko is survived by her husband, Teiji; son, Patrick (wife,Taehee); daughters, Catherine and Joyce; granddaughters, Mariko, Remy, and Kenna; and great granddaughters, Riley, Aya and Hilina'i.
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