Rafu Shimpo Obituary

An obituary was placed in the Rafu Shimpo, a Japanese newspaper that Great Grandmother read daily.

Rafu Shimpo, Saturday, July 24th, 2010. Here is the post:

"Service for the late Shizuko “Susie” Hayashi, 94-year-old Los Angeles born resident of Santa Monica, who passed away peacefully on July 16, will be held on Thursday, July 29, 11 a.m. at West Los Angeles Buddhist Temple, 2003 Corinth Ave., Los Angeles CA 90025. She is preceded in death by her beloved husband, Ikutaro; children, Arthur Toru Hayashi and Kiyoko Nakamura. She is survived by her son, Masaru Tom (Nancy) Hayashi; daughter-in-law, Amy Hayashi; also survived by many grandchildren, nieces, nephews and other relatives. The family kindly requests that flowers be omitted. www.fukuimortuary.com (213) 626-0441"

View Posting Online: Rafu Shimpo Obituary

Funeral Program

FRONT OF PROGRAM

CONTENTS

BACK OF PROGRAM

Photo Used in Ceremony

Thank You Card Example

This is an example of the thank you cards sent out. It is in english and japanese. Postage stamp booklets were included as part of the tradition.

Personal History

Here is the "Personal History" I wrote and read at the ceremony:

Shizuko Hayashi Personal History

7/25/2010

Shizuko Hayashi was born in Los Angeles, California on September 4th, 1915 to Katsuzo and Mitsu Shiraishi. Her parents were immigrants from Japan. When she was a child, her father sent her to Japan to receive a proper education. While staying with relatives, Shizuko excelled in school receiving excellent grades.

She married Roy Ikutaro Hayashi in 1933 and returned back to the United States. They lived in Glendale during the early part of their marriage. They had three children together including Arthur Toru, Tom Masaru, and Kiyoko. During World War II, the family was relocated to camp Manzinar. They lived in Lancaster and Palmdale before settling in Santa Monica after the war.

Shizuko was a devoted mother and housewife. She devoted herself to raising her three children and working as a domestic. The family resided in Santa Monica for 55 years, during which time she was a member of the West Los Angeles Buddhist Temple. Her sons and daughter gave her eight grandchildren: Dale, Dean, Lynn, Leslie, Brian, David, Akiko, and Keiko.

Shizuko was a skilled seamstress and made many clothes for her family over the years. She was a very social person who had many friends. She enjoyed travelling. Shizuko visited Europe with her husband and went to Hawaii with friends. She liked to bring items back from each travel destination to commemorate each trip. She was particularly fond of cats. She also took pleasure in watching Japanese movies and reading Japanese books and magazines. She was very involved with the West Los Angeles Buddhist Temple for years. Those who were close to her referred to her as “Susie”.

Funeral Photos

Here is the link to the photo albums from Great Grandmother's funeral and burial:


Photos by Sandy Crawford


There may be more to come to make sure to revisit the link later.

Last Minute Notes

Please find detailed information about the funeral/ceremony/reception below.

*Please update any and all family members who do not have access to this blog.

Date: Thursday, July 29, 2010

Time:

10:00 AM 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM 12:30 PM - ??

Arrive at temple  Ceremony (rough estimate on length of time)  Reception

Location:

West Los Angeles Buddhist Temple 2003 Corinth Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90025 Google Maps

Parking: Complimentary parking is available in the lot behind the temple.

Memory Drawer: Please remember to bring your item(s) to put inside the casket. Be mindful of the item size as drawer space is very limited.

Attire: Pallbearers, please try to wear a white, long-sleeved, collared, button-up dress shirt with black slacks and a tie (refrain from wearing red or white). Everyone else, please dress appropriately and avoid the colors red and white as they are considered disrespectful in a traditional Japanese ceremony.

Reception: The reception will be held immediately after the ceremony at the temple. Bento boxes that contain sushi and teriyaki chicken will be available however, there is a limited number of them. We are also ordering pizza. Water, hot & cold tea, coffee, coke and 7-Up will be available to drink. There will be cookies for dessert.

All family members must be at the temple at 10:00 AM SHARP. I recommend leaving around 8:30 AM (if you are coming from Whittier) as traffic will be heavy. I also recommend printing out directions in case anyone gets lost. But seriously, traffic will be a bitch. Please plan accordingly.

I believe that covers everything. Call my cell phone if you have any questions or concerns.

See you all tomorrow!

Additional Information

Hello family:

Here is some additional information pertaining to the funeral.


Arrival Time:

10 AM at West LA Buddhist Temple (see previous post for directions).

Attire:

Males: collared dress shirts, coats optional

Pallbearers:

1. Mr. David Hayashi
2. Mr. Nicholas Crawford
3. Mr. Scott McCullough
4. Mr. Daniel Hayashi
5. Mr. Christopher Hayashi
6. Mr. Robert Hayashi

preferably a white collared long sleeved dress shirt with a tie 
please no red or white ties.

Females: preferably black, please nothing red or white.


NOTE:

For those of you that would like to place a small item in the memory drawer of the casket, you must have it with you Thursday morning.

Lunch Reception: July 29th

Lunch:
bento boxes
pizza is also most likely a second option

Beverages:
hot/cold tea, coffee, water, soda

Dessert:
cookies


Post-Burial Lunch: July 30th

Location:
BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse
11101 183rd St.
Cerritos, CA 90703
(562) 467-0850
Website
Google Maps

Reservation Time: 1:15 PM

Details: Must be on one (1) check, 17% gratuity automatically included for large group, 50% of party must be present at 1:15 PM to be seated), space will be available for 2 hours from reservation time (Flexible as no other group is currently booked). Spoke with Amy on Monday, July 26th for confirmation.

Attendees:
• Tom Hayashi
• Nancy Hayashi
• Brian Hayashi
• Liz Hayashi
• David Hayashi
• Amy Hayashi
• Dale Hayashi
• Patti Hayashi
• Katie Hayashi
• Daniel Hayashi
• Christopher Hayashi
• Dean Hayashi
• Cathy Hayashi
• Robert Hayashi
• Amy Hayashi
• Lynn McCullough
• Kari McCullough
• Scott McCullough
• Leslie Crawford
• Wes Crawford
• Nick Crawford
• Sandy Crawford

Please comment if you have any other questions~!

Updates

The funeral (ceremony/service) will be held on Thursday, July 29th, 2010 at 11:00 AM at:

West Los Angeles Buddhist Temple
2003 Corinth Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90025
(310) 477-7274
Website
Google Maps

A reception will follow the ceremony in the courtyard. All services on Thursday are public.

The burial will take place on Friday, July 30th, 2010 at 11:00 AM at:

Green Hills Memorial Park
27501 S. Western Ave.
Rancho Palos Verdes, CA 90275

The burial service is private with only family asked to attend.

Please note that as family and/or participants (those who are pallbearers, receptionists, or ushers) are asked to arrive no later than an hour prior to 11:00 AM on BOTH days.

There is a small compartment for keepsakes in the casket. Please let me know if you would like to place a small item, letter, photo, etc. inside to be buried with her. I will see if it can be worked out.

For those who do not know, Great Grandmother (GGM) died on Friday, July 16th, 2010 around 3:00 PM according to the preliminary death certificate. The cause of death has not yet been determined. I think she either fell and couldn't get up and/or fainted from heat exhaustion. I don't know for sure but that's my guess for now. I'll keep you all posted.

For those not attending and sending flowers, please have them delivered to the temple. We asked people to not send flowers in the obituary but koden is acceptable. Since we're all family though, I don't see a problem with anyone sending flowers if they wanted to (no pressure though). There are plenty of other graves at the cemetery we can share them with (GGM's parents and other family members are buried there as well).

I'll post soon with drafts of the obituary and other such information. Post a comment if there is any specific details or questions you want to know and I will try my best to answer it in a timely manner.

<333
Kari

Date Confirmation

Thursday, July 29th, 2010 at 11:00 AM has been confirmed as the date of the ceremony and reception. The private burial will follow on Friday, July 30th.

Save the date if you plan on attending.

Addresses to follow shortly.

Tentative Plans

Public service to be held at West Los Angeles Buddhist Temple on Thursday, July 29th, 2010 at 11:00 AM. Reception to follow immediately after service. Private (family only) burial to be held at Green Hills on Friday, July 30th at 11:00 AM. Back up plan: Service / Reception on Wednesday, July 28th, 2010 at 11:00 AM with private burial on Thursday, July 29th at 11:00 AM. Dates are unconfirmed right now. Should have confirmation within the day or so.

An obituary will be running in the Rafu Shimpo.

This is about it for now. I'll keep you all posted via this blog :D

<333
Kari