Mary (Mariko) Yamamoto was born on July 7, 1930 to Tomi and Tomekichi Sakaguchi in San Diego, California.
Her mother passed away when she was eight months old. Her father was a fisherman and as the youngest of four children, she was sent to an orphanage where she lived for nine years. Two years after she came home from the orphanage, Pearl Harbor was attacked and under the orders of President Roosevelt, people of Japanese ancestry were evacuated from the West Coast. Mary and her family were sent to Poston, Arizona until August 1944, when they were allowed to return to San Diego.
Mary went on to graduate from Point Loma High School in 1949. She met her future husband, Richard when she was 16. He was in the US Navy and stationed in San Diego. They married on October 1, 1950, and moved to Seattle, Washington for Richard’s schooling. They moved to Davis in 1952, then to Oregon for two years in 1959, before returning and settling to raise their growing family in Davis.
Through the years, Mary’s passions included raising seven children, hosting dinner parties and celebrations for large or small gatherings, and providing a welcoming home for all who entered. Her home was never without a family pet, whether adopted or stray. She found time to sew dresses for the girls, knit baby blankets and crochet afghan blankets galore. The world of electronic gaming did not pass her by -she knew all the secrets to Mario Brothers and Zelda, and her grandchildren had fun challenging her in Dr. Mario. Many hours were spent trying to better her score in Tetris. She enjoyed a game of ping pong with anyone who would play with her and most importantly, developed a love for bowling. She was a member of many bowling leagues with many friends and was always in pursuit of the perfect 300 game, coming up 200 pins short more often than not. In her later years, she mastered and burned through several iPads, playing games with both her children and grandchildren, emailing friends and family, and watching her favorite TV shows and movies from the past.
Mary passed peacefully on December 14, surrounded by Richard, her family brood of seven children including Linda, Gail, Diane, Debbie, Richard, Robert and JoAnn, family relatives and friends. She leaves behind ten grandchildren and their families, including nine great grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Woodland Presbyterian Church, 1324 Columbia Drive, Woodland, California 95695.
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