OBITUARY: Fumie Keikoan Satake

Fumie Keikoan Satake

Sept. 16, 1923 – Aug. 6, 2020

SATAKE, FUMIE KEIKOAN was born on September 16, 1923 in San Francisco to Saizo and Tomoye Mizota. She was 96 years young when she attained Nirvana on August 6, 2020. She will always be remembered as someone who was full of life, kind to everyone and always had that infectious smile.

She was the second child of a family that eventually grew to six children. As a child she attended Japanese language school, learned to play a Japanese shamisen and in high school, she and her older sister Sachie spent weekends serving tea at the Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park. When her twin brothers, Yukio and Jitsuo were born, she and Sachie assisted in the caring of the twins. She always said that each twin took the personality traits of which sister took care of them.

The family lived next door to the Benkyodo bakery in San Francisco.

Smelling the freshly baked Japanese rice crackers and Japanese desserts, she enjoyed the irregular goods the bakery would offer to her and her siblings.

Many summer vacations were spent at a camp at the Russian River with the Japanese school. They were required to write a daily diary which was published in the local Japanese newspaper. As teenagers, she and Sachie were fortunate to spend some summer vacations in Carmel at a family friend’s home.

When World War II broke out, her family was rounded up on Mother’s day in 1942 and forced to stay at Tanforan Race Track in the horse stalls for over four months until transferring to the internment camps in Topaz, Utah.

Over 120,000 Japanese Americans throughout the West Coast were all incarcerated for over three years.

While in camp, Fumie met Rye, the love of her life and they married in 1947 after release from camp and Rye had completed his service in the U.S. Army. They resided in Sacramento and with three children, daily life was busy with family and friends and many activities at the Buddhist Church of Sacramento, Sacramento Japanese American VFW Post 8985 and Women’s Auxiliary, Boy Scouts Troop 50, and the Japanese American Citizens League.

Fumie worked for the State of California and the California Highway Patrol Academy for over 25 years. Unfortunately, in 1976, Rye lost his battle with cardiovascular disease.

Fumie later remarried and relocated to Mountain View where she was active at the Mt. View Buddhist Church. She returned to the home she loved and shared with Rye in Sacramento after her second husband, Jim Satake had passed away in 2013.

She is preceded in death by her parents, Saizo and Tomoye, sisters Sachie and Asaye, brothers Takeshi, Jitsuo and Yukio, first husband Rye, son Michael “Jake”, and second husband Jim.

Fumie is survived by daughter Gail, son Bruce (Judy), granddaughters Erin (Mike) Ziegler, Lisa Keikoan, great grandson Ryelee Ziegler, brother-in-law Harry Shoji Keikoan, sister-in-law Sumi (John) Guilday, nephews Ron (Frances) and Gary Sato, Todd, Scott, and Matthew (daughter Samantha) Keikoan, Gary Neil (Patty) Uratsu, Tracy Mizota, and nieces Cathleen Guilday, Kristina Walden, Sandra Mizota, Laura Hiura, and many great-nephews and great-nieces. Jim’s children Russ (Anita) Satake, Julie (Ed) Ryu, and Gail (Stacey) Satake-Nakamura.

Due to current COVID19 regulations, there will not be any memorial services. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Fumie’s honor to the Buddhist Church of Sacramento or any charity of your choice. An online guestbook is available at https://www.klumppsfuneralhome.com