We are saddened by the passing of Yaeko Iwamoto Tomomatsu (affectionately known as "Mrs. T" to all) on August 21, 2016 in Salt Lake City, Utah at the age of 95. She was born on April 20, 1921 in Lompoc, California as the first child of Masakichi Iwamoto and Sei Torii Iwamoto. She was a devoted wife, mother, daughter, sister, aunt and friend.
Yaeko enjoyed growing up on the family farm in Lompoc with her three siblings, Tak, Kiyo and Teru. Yae attended Woodbury College in Los Angeles, California, where she received a diploma in Accounting. Unfortunately, however, when Yae was 20 years old, her family was changed forever when her mother and siblings were separated from her father, and relocated to Utah as part of the mass relocation of Japanese Americans from the west coast.
While living in Salt Lake City, Yae met and fell in love with the handsome and kind Roy Tomomatsu, and on January 30, 1944, Yae and Roy were married. The happy couple were perfect together and Roy took loving care of Yae until his passing in 1994. Yae has missed Roy deeply and he was a part of her thoughts every day.
Yae and Roy were blessed with three children, Craig, Linda and Christine. Yae was proud of the academic accomplishments of her children and happy that her daughter Linda followed in her footsteps as an accountant. Yae loved travelling and the family has many fond memories of the trips they took together. Yae continued to travel after the children grew up and even took an adventurous trip to Africa. Roy and Yae loved sports, including playing tennis together at Liberty Park, as proud parents watching their son Craig play baseball and football, and as avid fans of the University of Utah "Utes." They were University of Utah Crimson Club boosters for decades and could be found at every football game, rain or shine, and travelled to many away games to support the team. After Roy passed away, Yae's love of sports continued, especially with her nonstop excitement of watching her grandsons play sports. Yae was also a very talented seamstress, and her knitted and needlepoint creations were truly a work of art. It was difficult times for Yae when her daughter Linda and her son Craig passed away, but Yae remained active and continued to provide her smile and laugh to those that visited her.
The Japanese Church of Christ has always been an important part of Yae and her family's life, providing her family with invaluable religious and community support. She will be truly missed and remembered for her support and dedication to the many church activities, including active participation in the Agape Women's Fellowship group, help preparing coffee fellowship after worship, donations to the children's Vacation Bible School, and generous support to the Deacons outreach to people who were homebound at Christmas and Easter. Yae could be counted on to provide beautiful poinsettias and Easter lilies. She looked forward to attending church every Sunday until she was no longer able to do so, and enjoyed and appreciated the many friendships she developed at the church and the fellowship and sharing amongst friends.
In addition to being a nonstop mom, Yae has always been a dedicated and hard working person with a stellar work ethic. At a very young age, Yae worked at her uncle's store after school with various responsibilities, including taking care of the financial records of the store. While raising three children, she worked two jobs. She worked as the assistant to the principal at Dilworth Elementary School and continued to give her time and talents at the school as a volunteer for several years earning recognition and a "Valentine" from former Salt Lake Tribune columnist Dan Valentine. Her work passion, however, was with Mt. Olympus Waters where she was a valued employee for over 60 years, and where she earned the love and respect of all who knew her. She initially started with Mt. Olympus Waters during the early stages of the company and took pride in watching the company grow and thrive into a successful business. Yae had various responsibilities including office manager, serving on the executive committee, and as a corporate officer. In addition, she was honored to be entrusted to act as the personal assistant to William C. Bailey, the President of the company. Bill has always had a special place in Yae's heart and she thought of Bill as another son.
Yaeko is survived by her daughter Christine Tomomatsu; daughter-in-law Leslie Tomomatsu; partner to Linda Kettering, Jon Tamaki; brother Takeo Iwamoto; grandchildren Justin Tomomatsu, Camden Tomomatsu, Christopher Lee; nieces and nephews Calvin Nakamura, Frank Nakamura, Stanley Nakamura, David Ogata, David Tomomatsu, Kirsten Tomomatsu, Scott Tomomatsu, Kim Griffin; sisters-in-law Kiyo Tomomatsu and Yuki Tomomatsu. Yae was preceded in death by her husband Roy Tomomatsu; son Craig Tomomatsu; daughter Linda Kettering; son-in-law Stewart Lee; and sisters Teru Ogata and Kiyo Nakamura.
Funeral services will be held Friday, August 26, 2016 at 12:00 Noon at the Japanese Church of Christ, 268 West 100 South, Salt Lake City, Utah, with a viewing for family and friends from 11:00 to 11:45 AM. Interment to follow at the Salt Lake City Cemetery, 4th Avenue and ‘N' Street.
