Obituary for
May Yamashita
May Hiroko Yamashita
June 11, 1929 – November 29, 2016
Resident of Berkeley
May, a loving mother and grandmother, passed away in Hayward on Tuesday, November 29.
May was born in Tacoma, Washington, where she lived until she moved to Japan in 1936. She attended grade school through high school mostly in Hiroshima, Japan. During high school, she volunteered for three weeks as a nurse for those who were wounded when the A bomb was dropped in 1945. Sixteen years old at that time, she developed the strength she possessed until her recent passing by tending to the indescribable, horrendous affects the bomb had on the Japanese population.
After the war, she returned to the United States where she met and married her late husband, Roger Yamashita. When Roger enlisted in the Air Force, she accompanied him back to Japan where their first child, Arthur, was born. Upon their return to the states, she gave birth to their second child, Irving, and then five years later, Linda. May and Roger were married 38 years until his death in 1989.
May was an extraordinary cook (as many can attest to) and seamstress who enjoyed creating gifts for young children, church activities, and special occasions. She also enjoyed writing letters, folding origami, making cards, working in the garden, and reading.
May is survived by her sisters Dorothy Akin (Stillwater, OK) and June Willson (Los Gatos), her brother Ray Nagai, sons Arthur (Patti) and Irving, daughter Linda (Steve) Russell, and grandsons Kyle, Scott, Max, and Jason.
A memorial service will be held Friday, December 30, at 11am at Berkeley Higashi Honganji Temple, 1524 Oregon Street, Berkeley, CA. Friends and family are invited to attend.
