July 11, 1928 - October 17, 2018
Leona Tomiko Nakamura Barfield was born to Kichisaburo & Chikano Nakamura on July 11, 1928 in La Junta, Colorado. She was the youngest of five children. She spent her childhood in Denver until the age of 12. At that time, her father passed away, so she traveled with her mother & sister to return her father’s ashes to Tokyo, Japan. Shortly after the U.S went to war with Japan, they moved to the island of Kyushu, unable to return to their home in Denver & separated from her brothers left behind in the U.S. Once the war ended, she was hired by the U.S. Civil Service as a typist in Tokyo. With the U.S. occupation of Japan, she met & married Edward Barfield who was serving in the U.S. Army, in 1950. The couple returned to the U.S. & eventually had four children together. Her husband’s military duties took them to numerous cities throughout the U.S. & Germany, finally settling in San Francisco in 1966. In 1967, she returned to work for the Civil Service at the Presidio of San Francisco. The couple separated in 1971, & eventually divorced. As her youngest entered college, she was convinced by her daughter to attend S.F. City College, earning her A.A. Degree & gaining a paralegal certification. She went on to work for the U.S. Army Judge Advocate at the Presidio. In 1997, she earned a B.A. Degree at S.F. State University, graduating as the oldest in her class at the age of 68. Leona loved the Fine Arts, often taking in museum exhibits & performances while living in the heart of the city. During her retirement years, Leona filled her days with work as a volunteer for the Jewish Community Senior Center, the Kimochi Senior Center in Japantown, Yerba Buena Gardens, the S.F. Visitors Bureau, the Symphony, Ballet, & Opera, & numerous plays & events in the downtown area. She also had her younger son & his wife nearby & enjoyed spending time with them. In 2010 Leona moved to Hanford, California, to the Remington Independent Living facility to be closer to her elder daughter. In the spring of 2015, she moved to Park City, Utah, & lived at the BeeHive Home where she was close to her elder son & younger daughter. On October 17, Leona lost her battle with Alzheimer’s disease. She is survived by her children & extended family, Ken Barfield of Park City, UT; Allison Page of Park City, UT; Donna Christensen & husband Lloyd, Jr. (Chris), of Seattle, WA; Dennis Barfield & wife Liz Romo of Berkeley, CA; & Debra Barfield & husband Bruce Corrigan of Park City, UT. She leaves behind eight grandchildren, Eric Christensen & wife Jami, Caitlin Christensen, Hannah Christensen, Alec Barfield, Jack Corrigan & fiancée Patti, Julia Barfield, Bennett Corrigan, & Wilson Corrigan, & two great-grandchildren, Lauryn & Weston Christensen. Her greatest joy came from spending time with her family. Her hobbies included knitting & crocheting, sewing & crafts, baking & cooking, often taking baked goods to friends, family & neighbors, even feeding homemade sandwiches to the homeless in downtown S.F. Leona lived a full & rich life, remaining cheery & happy up to the end. Her nickname at the BeeHive Home was “Little Miss Sunshine”. She was truly loved by many & will be dearly missed by all who knew her. A Celebration of Life is planned for summer 2019. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Leona’s name to the Alzheimer’s Association.
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