Obituary of Katherine H. Mizuno

Katherine passed away peacefully on July 30, 2012. She is survived by her devoted husband of 68 years, Tom; son Michael; daughters Judy Morinaga (Daniel), Carol Goi and Christine Tanizawa (Sam); five grandchildren (Nicole Goi, Sydnee Mizuno, Brandon, Steven, and Troy Tanizawa), and two great-grandchildren (Lauren and Genevieve Goi-Yamamoto); sisters - Grace and Rose, brothers - Peter and Tommy. Preceded in death by her parents Kaheiji and Nao Okamoto, brothers - Paul and Jimmy, sister - June. Katherine Harue was born on April 3, 1920. She was the eldest of eight children. Prior to WWII her family lived in Walnut Grove. When the war started, her family was sent to "camp" Tule Lake. During the war Katherine left for Fort Riley, Kansas to get married. Katherine and Tom were married in Junction City, Kansas on August 23, 1943. She worked for the captain at Fort Riley until Tom was sent overseas and Katherine went to Camp Amache, Colorado to be with her family. She was a homemaker for many years. She was active in her children's activities: Blue Birds, Cub Scouts, PTA, church. As a seamstress she made many wedding dresses and cheerleader outfits. Katherine worked in food service at Hiram Johnson High School for 19 years and became known as the "Johnson flower lady" providing fresh flowers in the faculty lounge. She had a love for flowers and enjoyed sharing them. She was also known for her cinnamon rolls on the Johnson campus. With budget cuts, they eliminated cinnamon rolls for the students, but mom found a way to continue making them for the faculty. Unfortunately, she didn't leave us her recipe. Katherine has touched many lives in 92 years and will be missed by her family, relatives and all who knew her. The Tom Mizuno family thanks relatives and friends for their support and visits during Katherine's stay at the Asian Community Nursing Home. Special thanks to the staff at ACNH for taking good care of Katherine and their efforts to keep her comfortable during her final days.