Misako (Watanabe) Yamaoka, a resident of Sunnyvale, California, for over 70 years, passed away peacefully at her home on May 6, 2022, at the age of 99. She was born June 12, 1922, in Concord, California, to the late Mitsuko and Tokuzo Watanabe. Misako is preceded in death by her husband, George; her sisters and brothers-in-law Tsuyako (Choji) Ajari, Sumiko (Mas) Doi, Kazuko (Al) Okuno, and daughter-in-law Aki (George T.) Yamaoka.
She is survived by her children George T. Yamaoka, Larry (Vickie) Yamaoka, and Bonnie Yamaoka; her grandchildren Landon Yamaoka, Kelsey (Matthew) Lundsten, Martin Lewis, Mika (Quinton) Dial, and four great grandchildren; and her sister Evelyn (Ted) Komaki.
In 1942 with the issuance of Executive Order 9066, while attending Mt. Diablo High School, she and her family were relocated to the concentration camp in Gila, Arizona. After the end of WWII, her family returned to California and were temporarily housed at the San Jose Buddhist Church. It was there that she met George Yamaoka through family friends. While they were dating, she worked as a live-in housekeeper for a doctor in Palo Alto. They were married on June 23, 1946, and started the next 60 years of their lives together.
In 1956, Misako underwent brain surgery at UCSF to remove a tumor, which ultimately impaired her hearing and vision. Doctors gave her a bleak diagnosis of 3 years to live. But she persevered and beat the odds, proving them all wrong, and outlived those doctors. Although she was aware of these impediments, she rarely complained. She was also a 26-year breast cancer survivor.
Misako enjoyed attending her children’s baseball and basketball games. She and George also attended many All-Star and World Series games together over the years. She loved playing bingo at the San Jose Obon Festival and always came home with a prize. However, her preferred game of chance was the slot machines in Tahoe, Reno, Las Vegas, or Cache Creek. And whenever her favorite singer, Johnny Mathias, had a concert in Tahoe or locally, you could be sure to find her there.
She was extraordinarily patient. When the family went skiing, she would sit quietly in the lodge observing all the skiers coming down the mountain and wait for the family to join her for lunch. And she would be there again when it was time to go home. It was the same with her 4 grandchildren. She was always in attendance for a grandchild’s basketball, football, soccer, or baseball game. She would watch patiently and intently in the stands, cheering them on.
Misako found pleasure in simple things and was a faithful watcher of soap operas like “As the World Turns” and “General Hospital”. And although she never played tennis, she was an avid watcher of Wimbledon and the Australian, French, and US Opens. She always rooted for her favorite, Rafael Nadal. Even when she could not see the television as well as she used to, she continued to watch and listen to her favorite evening game shows, Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune.
She was also extremely disciplined, which probably contributed to her long and healthy life. From her exercises, taking any medication or watching her diet, if she was advised to do something, she did it. But when the opportunity presented itself, it never stopped her from stealing a French fry or two from her grandchild’s plate or sharing their ice cream. In the last decade of her life, she finally began to indulge her sweet tooth, which was much deserved, by finishing every dinner with one of her favorite desserts.
Later in life as her body started to slow, her mind stayed sharp and she continued to stick to her routines. She would have the biggest smile on her face when seeing her great-grandchildren. The happiness they gave her would stay with her for days. Ultimately family was the most important thing to her and what brought her the most joy. Family truly is her lasting legacy.
Her family wishes to acknowledge and deeply thank the following people: the caregivers from Visiting Angels (Sunnyvale) for their compassionate care and companionship for 13 years; the servers at Denny’s in Lawrence Expressway Plaza for always seating her at her preferred table and extending such kindness during her Thursday and Saturday morning breakfasts; and the 2022 History and Ethnic Study class at Mt. Diablo High School in Concord, California, for all their efforts to grant her an honorary diploma.
Private services were held on August 12, 2022. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the San Jose Buddhist Church Betsuin (https://www.sjbetsuin.org/resources/donations/) or your favorite charity.
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