Carmel Valley, California

Sanaye Evenson passed away August 22, 2024 with her loving family by her side. Sanaye was born in Salinas, California to Tokukichi Ohashi and Michi Iwakiri. After the start of World War II, her family was relocated to a Japanese Internment camp in Poston, Arizona. They returned after the war to Aromas, California where she grew up playing among the farms and orchards, and sorting apricots during the season. She attended Watsonville High School and San Diego State College.

She loved driving her Jaguar down to Nepenthe in Big Sur where she met Bud Evenson, a local architect, over a plate of Lolly’s Roast Chicken. They married and settled down in a“cottage by the sea” in Carmel Highlands, with Sanaye’s daughter Suzanne and soon welcomed their daughter, Jenny. The family moved to“a place in the sun” in Carmel Valley, where their daughter, Sally, was born.

Sanaye was a reader and collected an impressive library of vintage books and mystery novels. She loved to travel, from road trips around California’s Gold Country to journeys throughout Europe and Mexico and an annual trip to the American Southwest where she enjoyed collecting American Indian Art.

Anyone who knew Sanaye could expect to see her stylishly dressed with a great pair of sunglasses, wearing her trademark silver and turquoise jewelry -perhaps walking one of her many beloved Doberman Pinschers who were her constant companions. You could usually find her at the beach in Carmel looking for rocks and shells or browsing the stacks at Harrison Memorial Library.

She loved music ranging from the Eagles to Metallica and could spot a Ford Shelby Mustang GT a mile away.

She was also an avid sports fan, relished Western movies, any Kurosawa film starring Toshiro Mifune and a good slapstick comedy. She cared deeply for animals and delighted in tending to her hummingbirds and turtle.

Sanaye was a self-taught gourmet cook and she would never turn down a piece of cake with white frosting. Her gracious manner, light-hearted spirit, intellect, generosity and sense of adventure will be remembered each and every day.

She is survived by her beloved husband of 59 years, Bud Evenson; loving daughters Suzanne (Don) Feblowitz, Jenny Evenson (Douglas McClure) and Sally (Phillip) Lopez; adoring grandchildren Craig (Ben Cheung) and Matthew Feblowitz (Suzanne) and Lilly and Ian McClure (Jenny); and brother, Robert “Bobby” Ohashi. Sanaye was preceded in death by her sister, Judy Akiye Ohashi.

The family will have a private celebration to honor her beautiful life.