SHIONO, YURI, 97 was a fun-loving and cheerful woman who loved being with her family and friends, hosting and going to parties, and cooking and eating good food. She was a sharp card player who would chatter the night away while winning hand after hand with friends. She died April 29, 2017.

Yuri was born in Oakland, California on May 10, 1919 to Kiku and Asajiro Murakami and was the younger sister of Machi. The Murakami family moved to San Francisco Japantown when Yuri was a child. Asajiro and Kiku owned a shoe repair shop and a confectionery store, and Kiku was also a midwife. In 1942, she with most all of the other Japanese Americans in San Francisco was imprisoned at Tanforan Race Track in San Bruno, California. She left Tanforan on a work permit and moved to St. Paul, Minneapolis to work as a maid.

She married Hank Shiono at Fort Snelling in Minnesota in 1943 when Hank was on leave from the Army. Yuri and Hank spent their honeymoon traveling to see their families who were imprisoned at Heart Mountain, Wyoming and Topaz, Utah. After the war they moved to Chicago for a brief period and then moved back to San Francisco. Hank and Yuri had two children, Ken who was born in Chicago and Pat who was born in San Francisco. After raising the kids, Yuri worked at an insurance company as a clerk typist. Yuri and Hank lived downstairs from her brother Machi and his wife Toki and their three children, Mako, Gary and Ann for 50 years.

Yuri was thrilled when Ken and his wife Kathleen had two beautiful sons, Michael and Conlan. She was a devoted daughter who took care of her mother until she passed away at age 100, in 1997. Yuri and Hank volunteered and participated in the Nisei VFW, Kimochi, Boy Scout Troop 58, Girl Scouts, Buddhist Church, Konko Church, and JCCCNC. Yuri lost Hank in 1988 when he was only 72. In her later years, Yuri moved into Kokoro Assisted Living. For 12 years she was cared for by the Kokoro team who treated her with kindness and love.

Yuri will be remembered as a lively, happy woman who loved to be with her family and friends and have a good time. She enriched the lives of all who knew her. We will miss her dearly.