OBITUARY: Sue Suzuko Nakahira

Sue Suzuko Nakahira

Aug. 17, 1933 – Oct. 29, 2022

NAKAHIRA, SUZUKO “SUE”, 89 passed away with her family by her side, on October 29, 2022, at Sutter General Hospital due to complications after a heart valve repair.

Sue was born Aug 17, 1933, in Los Angeles, CA to parents Masako & Haruto Hamamoto. During WWII, she was relocated to Manzanar and Tule Lake, then moved to Loomis after the war. She lived in Sunol, then San Francisco to work and marry, then settled down in Sacramento. She married Tsutomu Ben Nakahira in 1960, who passed in 2002, and was the loving mother to Laurie Nakahira (Greg Yamada), Gail Nakahira (Gilbert Hernandez) & Eileen Nakahira (David Uyeno).

Her pride and joy were her grandchildren, Alexa Nakahira, Kimberly Yamada, and Benjamin Uyeno.

Sue started her career at the Sacramento’s Sheriff’s department, then eventually retired from the Department of Transportation. She enjoyed spending time with her family, reading, bowling, baking pies, playing cards with her sisters, and traveling around the world. She was often found with a deck of cards and a book to read. Her greatest joy, though, was watching her grandchildren grow and prosper.

She was the 5th child of 7 children and is survived by her brother, Masaharu Hamamoto and sister Yachi Okimoto. She is predeceased by Haruko Tanigawa, Sadako Abe, Tokiko Nakayama, and Toshio Hamamoto.

A private family service was held in December.