OBITUARY: Kayoko Sato

SATO, KAYOKO, 76, a longtime resident of San Francisco, CA, passed away at her home on July 10, 2015. She was very well known as Masazuka Sato, a koto master, and enjoyed teaching her students as well as volunteering for numerous community events. Kayoko was born in Fukuoka, Japan in 1939 and came to San Francisco in 1962 to marry Hideo Sato who had been waiting for her. She started to work at Sanwa Bank Ltd. in 1968 and became Vice President of the remittance department. She was transferred to JCB USA, a subsidiary of Sanwa Bank Ltd. to assist starting up the new company. She was inducted into the “Bunka Hall of Fame” by Hokka Nichi Bei Kai in 2011 for her utmost dedication to koto.

Kayoko’s health was good throughout her life. However, she became frail and fatigued early this year and diagnosed with lymphoma. She fought hard, but left this earth peacefully with her loving husband watching over her in the end. During her illness, she was in good hands, with professional caregivers and many friends and students that offered care for her. She is survived by her beloved husband Hideo and relatives in Japan. Funeral services were held at Ashley & McMullen with Rev. Ron Kobata of the Buddhist Church of San Francisco on July 18, 2015.