Those We Lost in 2020
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2020 has been a year of extraordinary loss and suffering. As The Rafu
presents its annual listing of passings in the community, we offer our condolences to all those who have lost loved ones in this most difficult of years.
Following, in alphabetical order, are some of the notable individuals who passed away during the past year.
Sumako Azuma II
Sumako Azuma II (Janice Aiso Edesa), 61, on July 24. The North American representative to Azuma Ryū in Japan, she taught Japanese classical dance for 45 years, training 14 students to earn the natori degree and one to earn the shihan degree.
OBITUARY: Floral Entrepreneur Toshikiyo ‘Andy’ Matsui, 85
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CARMEL Floral entrepreneur Toshikiyo “Andy” Matsui, 85, died peacefully in his sleep on Dec. 11 at The Cottages of Carmel.
Matsui was born on March 1, 1935 into a traditional farm family in rural Nara Prefecture. As a young man, he participated in the Ministry of Agriculture training programs that sent him to California and introduced him to new possibilities.
Andy Matsui
In 1964, he emigrated to the U.S. along with his wife, Yasuko, and first daughter. The couple worked as laborers in Japanese-owned flower nurseries in the Bay Area until they were able to start their own operations in leased greenhouses.