Florence Reiko Terami

Florence was born in October 1937, the lone child to Tsuruko and Raymond Muramoto, in Auburn, WA. When Florence was a young child, the family was uprooted and forced to live in a Japanese internment camp in Tule Lake, CA. They spent approximately three years there. Upon release from the internment camp, the family settled in the Beacon Hill area of Seattle, WA. Florence was very close with her grandparents, Tsuruno and Masaichi Kuranishi, who took care of her for periods of time while her parents worked. Florence attended Bailey Gatzert Elementary School, Washington Junior High School, Garfield High School, and graduated from Cleveland High School in 1956. She met many of her lifelong friends through school and the Seattle Buddhist Church.

After high school, Florence enrolled at the University of Washington. During those years, Japanese-American women were not allowed to participate in the standard campus Greek system so she and her friends joined Valeda – a student group for women of Japanese ancestry. Florence graduated with a Bachelor of Pharmacy degree in 1960. She always liked to point out that becoming a pharmacist is much harder now than it used to be!

Florence moved to Yakima, WA for her first pharmacist job at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital. She stayed in Yakima for about a year and then moved to Tacoma, WA for a job at St. Joseph’s Hospital. She moved back to Seattle for a position at Doctor’s Hospital and that would prove to be a life changing decision. There she met her dear friend Linda and her future sister-in-law Muneko. Muneko introduced Florence to her brother, Bruce, who had recently relocated to Seattle after separating from the military.

Bruce and Florence got married on May 5, 1968, in Seattle, WA. They initially lived in Magnolia and later settled in Lake Forest Park where they resided for over 50 years.

Their daughter Jennifer was born four years later. Florence loved to volunteer at the library of Jennifer's elementary school, middle school, and high school. She later received an award from the Shoreline Schools Foundation for her contributions to the district throughout the years. She also regularly volunteered at the Aqua Club swim meets while Jennifer was on the swim team. Florence and Jennifer enjoyed traveling, going to sporting events, shopping, and long chats on the phone. Florence was the best mom that Jennifer could have ever hoped for.

Florence continued to work as a pharmacist but transitioned to part-time after Jennifer was born. She retired from Swedish Hospital at the end of 1995. She worked with many great people over the years.

As a child, Florence attended Seattle Rainiers baseball games with her father which instilled a lifelong love of sports. She was a long-time Seattle Mariners season ticket holder starting in 1992 (the dreadful Bill Plummer years). She and Jennifer enjoyed attending games together including every Mariners home opener for approximately 20 years in a row. She also faithfully attended nearly every home University of Washington football game with her close friend and fellow football fan Betty Ann for decades. She traveled to several bowl games to watch the Huskies play including multiple Rose Bowls and the Orange Bowl. She also frequently attended University of Washington men’s basketball games with dear friends George and Irene. She never liked to leave games early and always wanted to wait until the final out or the clock was at 00:00, no matter what the score was.

Florence loved to travel but Bruce did not like traveling until his later years. That did not hold Florence back. Several times she and Jennifer traveled with other mother/daughter pairs. She also traveled with Muneko and/or friends to Italy, New England, Hawaii, and other parts of the United States. When Bruce decided he was ready to travel they went to England, France, Japan, Germany, the Southwest, Hawaii, California, and a European river cruise.

Florence loved animals and had several pets throughout her life – Mickey (dog), Sebastian (cat), Rochester (cat), Oscar (dog), Bandit (dog), Ginger (cat), and Nora (cat). Her friends Ben and Iris graciously took Nora in after Florence could no longer take care of her. Nora is about eighteen years old and still doing quite well!

Florence was known for her warm personality and kind soul. She loved talking to people and instantly could make them feel comfortable. Florence was beyond generous and donated to many causes. Bruce sometimes hid the mail from Florence because she would donate to every organization if she had the opportunity!

Florence was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease in approximately 2020, but, for the most part, Parkinson’s did not stop her from doing what she liked to do. She was diagnosed with colon cancer in October 2022, and given an estimate of approximately eight months to live. Florence surpassed that estimate by over six months. She also survived a scary bout of sepsis in March 2023. Florence contracted COVID in late January 2024, and unfortunately was already too weak to fight anything else. Throughout it all, Florence maintained her sweet, kind personality.

Florence spent the last 14 months of her life living at Foss Home, a skilled nursing facility in North Seattle. The family is grateful for the kind staff at Foss who provided excellent care and support.

Bruce passed away in November 2022. Florence is survived by daughter Jennifer (Mike), grandchildren Eliza and Eli, sister-in-law Muneko Spengler, niece Hanako Wyles (David), nephew Michael Spengler (Jennifer), grand-nieces Anna, Kyra, Mae, Mila, Evie, grand-nephew Jonathan, second "daughter" Heather Carpenter, cat Nora, and many dear friends who are more like family.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Foss Home (non profit organization), Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, Seattle Humane Society, or a charitable organization of your choice.

Florence was very special and will be deeply missed by many. Thank you to everyone who visited, called, messaged, sent cards, and/or kept Florence in their thoughts and prayers. She definitely felt all of the love and support till the very end.

A joint celebration of Florence’s and Bruce’s lives will be planned for later in 2024.