Mae Meiko Yoshida
Obituary
Mae Meiko Yoshida passed away peacefully, on May 13, 2024 at the age of 95. A native of San Jose, she was a long time resident of Watsonville. She was the second child of eight born to Kazuo Nakayama and Fumio Iwashita of Kumamoto, Japan.
?She was born on May 6, 1929 at 565 North Fifth Street-at the Kumamoto hospital, now known as the Issei Memorial Building in San Jose Japantown. She lived throughout Santa Clara County in Campbell and Cupertino and graduated from Campbell High School.
?During World War II, at the age of thirteen, along with her entire family, she was incarcerated at Heart Mountain, Wyoming where she spent the duration of the war. After the war, she and the Nakayama family relocated to San Jose.
?In 1954, she married Masao Yoshida of Watsonville and they joined the Yoshida family in a lifelong career of farming in Watsonville and Salinas, eventually starting their own business as Yoshida Farms, Inc. specializing in strawberries and cut flower carnation and rose nurseries.
?Mae was a member of the Watsonville Buddhist Temple and the Watsonville-Santa Cruz Japanese American Citizen's League (JACL).
?She is survived by her children: Pam (Gordon Koo) Yoshida of San Jose , Perry (Kim) Yoshida of Watsonville and Lori Yoshida of San Jose. Her husband, Masao Yoshida preceded her in death.
?She is also survived by a sister, Kim Sekigahama and a brother, Jim Nakayama, and sister in laws: Rose Yoshida, Fran Tsukamoto, Suzanne Yoshida, Aileen Yoshida, Margie Fiske and Betsy Kochiyama. She is also survived by several nieces and nephews and several grand and great grand nieces and nephews.
Memorial service will be Saturday, June 22, 2024, at 11:00 at the Watsonville Buddhist Temple at 423 Bridge Street, Watsonville.
Published in The Pajaronian · June 6, 2024