text: Satomi Helen Tokashiki - Rafu Shimpo
  It is with heavy hearts, that we announce the death of our mother, Satomi Helen Tokashiki. She left this earth on a beautiful Sunday afternoon on Sept. 20, 2020 at home surrounded by her son, Robert and daughter Mari and their families. She lived a long life in California and spent most of it in Torrance.
  She graduated from Hawthorne High School and when World War II broke out, she followed her family into the internment camps. First to Heart Mountain and then Tule Lake.
  After the war, the family moved to Morgan Hill in Northern California where they farmed, mostly strawberries but also prunes, walnuts and other products that would sell.
  After graduating from nursing school she was set up on a blind date with our father Paul and several months later they married. Helen took a professional break while raising their four kids and went back to work when her youngest was about 8 years old.
  She loved to go shopping with her friends Frank and Meryl and developed nice friendships in the church community. Helen was easy to make friends with and loved going to farmers market at Wilson Park and always had in hand all the sweets and popcorn for when the grandkids would come to the house. She was always so proud of her eldest grandkids that graduated from college and was able to see Jenna and Matt get married on 2019. Alan, has started his career and following his parent's footsteps as an engineer.
  RJ (Ross Jr.) continues to work hard and get national attention for his Tae Kwan Do skills as does Sachi. They are both Black Belts. Emi, whom lives in Seattle, is an emerging tennis player.
  As she transitioned into her next realm she was greeted by her son Tommy, that left her as an infant, along with her sister, Tsutayo, mom and dad Shinagawa and a number of other family members and friends.
  She leaves her husband of 50 plus years, Paul, along with her 3 surviving children, Robert, Mari and Julie and their respective spouses.