OBITUARY: Ayame Mae Uchida

Ayame Mae Uchida

UCHIDA, AYAME MAE, 97, passed peacefully Saturday April 14th surrounded by her loving family. Born in San Francisco in 1920, she is survived by her husband Yoshihiro (Yosh), daughters Lydia (Steve) Sakai and Aileen (Steven) Shimizu and grandsons Michael and Kyle (Diane) Sakai. She was preceded in death by her daughter Janice (Dan) Shapiro, brothers Harry (Marye) Hiraki, Henry (Yasuko) Hiraki and Shig (Humi) Hiraki, nephew Spencer Hiraki and parents Tomigoro and Matsue Hiraki. She graduated from Gilroy High School where she loved to sing in the choir. Mae met her husband Yosh while enrolled at San Jose State. During WWII she and her family were interned in Poston, Arizona. While interned in Poston, Mae taught 2nd grade with her good friend Masako Hirata. She loved teaching. Returning to San Jose after the War, the family was welcomed back by Sam and Dina DellaMaggiore who helped to sponsor them and many other Japanese Americans returning after the war. An excellent gardener, cook and hostess she fed and housed many international, national and local students and instructors for more than 70 years, who came to San Jose State for the judo program. In 1956 she worked with her husband Yosh to build Physician’s Laboratory. The Laboratory grew from a small three person operation into Laboratory Services Inc., which was the largest privately owned Medical Reference Laboratory in Northern California during the 1980s with 450 employees. In the mid 1970s Mae found and fell in love with golf and managed to play every chance she could with her good friends from Pruneridge, the Royal Dots and the Pasatiempo golf club. She saw the world through her golf trips and tournaments and accomplished 3 “hole in ones” in her career. She was loved by her family and friends for her generosity, her great meals and her kindness. She will be and is greatly missed by all who knew her.

Services were held on May 6, 2018.