Kazuko Terasawa, 92, passed away on the morning of January 25, after a short illness.
She was born in Salt Lake City to Uneo Terasawa and Kuniko Muramatsu on August 12, 1926. She was raised in an area of Salt Lake where Japanese immigrants developed a community with businesses, churches and homes that became known as Japan Town.
Kazuko graduated from West High School and the University of Utah. At West High she took a class in journalism and one in printing. She used the skills she learned in helping her mother publish a Japanese newspaper where she worked until her mother's death in 1991. The paper brought her in contact with a variety of people. Local Issei women looked to her for help and transportation when their resources were limited. Visitors from Japan viewed the paper as a contact and source of information. Kazuko often acted as a guide, interpreter and translator. Some became lifelong friends. She was invited to Japan to dedicate a permanent exhibit of the Japanese newspaper that had been donated to Matsumoto, Salt Lake's Sister City. The paper has become the basis for a study group that researches information about Japanese in the U.S. particularly during WW II.
Kazuko enjoyed collecting Beanie Babies and Buddies for herself as well as for friends, Japanese films which she enjoyed watching, memorabilia, books, and recipes. She collected published obituaries of local Japanese and compiled them into notebooks for future reference. She shared recipes and taught interested young people to make specific dishes. She enjoyed making sushi as her contribution to small parties.
Kazuko is preceded in death by her father, Uneo Terasawa and mother, Kuniko Muramatsu Terasawa. She is survived by her sister Haruko Moriyasu (Hideo), nephew Mikio and many cousins.
Memorial services will be held on Saturday, March 2, beginning at 3:00 p.m. at the Salt Lake Buddhist Temple, 211 West 100 South. Interment at the Salt Lake City Cemetery. In lieu of Koden and flowers please donate to a charity of your choice.
A special appreciation to Heartwood Home Health and Hospice for taking care of Kazuko.
