Sato, Shizuko, passed away peacefully on July 4, 2010.

Shizuko was born on July 30, 1912 in Berkeley, Calif., and was the eldest of seven children to Kurasaburo and Kikuyo Fujii, who had emigrated from Fukuoka, Japan. Shizuko and sister Yuriko were educated in Japan until their return to the U.S. in 1929. After internment during WWII in Topaz, Utah, Shizuko was married to Yoshio Sato in New York in 1945 and later returned with Yoshio to Berkeley and helped grow the University Nursery, a successful bonsai business. They closed the business in 1973 to retire.

Shizuko is preceded in death by Yoshio but is survived by sisters Vickie (John, dec.) Yumoto, Haruko (Akira, dec.) Hayashida, Michiko (Kiyoshi, dec.) Uchida, brothers Naoki (Francis) and Hayami (Phyllis).

A family memorial service has been held. Shizuko is interred with Yoshio at the Sunset Cemetery and Mortuary in El Cerrito, Calif.