Devoted and loving wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, aunt and friend, Tamiko (Tami) Tanaka peacefully joined our dad in heaven on February 19, 2020. She was born in Honolulu in 1921 and was happily married to her one and only love, Ernest Tanaka, for a few months shy of 65 years. Throughout her life, mom exemplified loyalty, discipline, focus and strength, coupled with honesty, respect, independence, playful sense of humor and deep love of family. Her exceptional punctuality, dependability, organizational skills and detailed record keeping not only enabled her to manage the household with dad, but also guided her successful career as an accountant at Mackay Radio/ITT for 39 years with hardly a day off! "T" (dad's name for mom) was humble, strong, kind, gentle, sweet and thoughtful, and lived a healthy lifestyle (physically, spiritually, mentally) with prayers, regular walks, eating well and taking tai chi and fitness classes. She played Hanafuda on Saturdays and engaged in other fun activities at Hawaii Kai Retirement Center where she resided and cultivated friendships of so many caring and dear friends whom she loved and appreciated. Her "get up and go!" attitude and self motivation to set and accomplish goals were an inspiration to friends and family alike, and we all strived to live with those positive traits as well. Mom's caring and unfailing devotion to family was unparalleled, and as she was the epicenter of our lives, we were the epicenter of hers. "T" had a funny bone and sprinkled all who knew her with a sense of humor that was peppered with spunkiness and a playful spirit that buoyed everyone around her! We will smile at the countless number of times she made us laugh, and the cherished memory of her comical ways will warm our hearts as the years go by. Tamiko also enjoyed listening to music and singing songs, among which were Japanese children's songs that we know by heart till today! Friends would always seek her help when they wanted to know a tune or lyrics to songs that on many occasions, only she could remember. Mom also loved Christmas carols and would joyously brighten our holidays each year by singing Here We Come A Wassailing. We are so happy she sang it for us one last time at Christmastime, 2019. Yes, our dear mother has indeed imparted heartfelt and treasured memories that are now tucked away in our hearts. When those moments of really missing her descend upon us, we will gently gather those fond and loving memories from our hearts and play them like a slideshow in our minds with the passage of time. Tami is survived by her sister Nancy Joh, sister-in-law Jeanne Kotoshirodo, as well as her immediate family: daughters Elva Young and Rae (John) Yanagihara; granddaughters Shannon Young and Kim (Mike) Taniguchi; and great-granddaughters Mia and Ellie Taniguchi. She is also survived by numerous nieces and nephews, among which Hope and Dennis Koyama and Ed and Pat Kotoshirodo were instrumental in giving their time, assistance and love that brought two thumbs up from mom whenever they visited. We will honor our mother with a private Celebration of Life. Tamiko Tanaka's kindness, pragmatism, determination, strong work and life ethics, as well as her sweet and indomitable spirit will always be remembered and remain in all who were blessed to have known her. Mom will be missed more than words can say, but her deep love and legacy will be etched in our hearts forever.
Devoted and loving wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, aunt and friend, Tamiko (Tami) Tanaka peacefully joined our dad in heaven on February 19, 2020. She was born in Honolulu in 1921 and was happily married to her one and only love, Ernest Tanaka, for a few months shy of 65 years. Throughout her life, mom exemplified loyalty, discipline, focus and strength, coupled with honesty, respect, independence, playful sense of humor and deep love of family. Her exceptional punctuality, dependability, organizational skills and detailed record keeping not only enabled her to manage the household with dad, but also guided her successful career as an accountant at Mackay Radio/ITT for 39 years with hardly a day off! "T" (dad's name for mom) was humble, strong, kind, gentle, sweet and thoughtful, and lived a healthy lifestyle (physically, spiritually, mentally) with prayers, regular walks, eating well and taking tai chi and fitness classes. She played Hanafuda on Saturdays and engaged in other fun activities at Hawaii Kai Retirement Center where she resided and cultivated friendships of so many caring and dear friends whom she loved and appreciated. Her "get up and go!" attitude and self motivation to set and accomplish goals were an inspiration to friends and family alike, and we all strived to live with those positive traits as well. Mom's caring and unfailing devotion to family was unparalleled, and as she was the epicenter of our lives, we were the epicenter of hers. "T" had a funny bone and sprinkled all who knew her with a sense of humor that was peppered with spunkiness and a playful spirit that buoyed everyone around her! We will smile at the countless number of times she made us laugh, and the cherished memory of her comical ways will warm our hearts as the years go by. Tamiko also enjoyed listening to music and singing songs, among which were Japanese children's songs that we know by heart till today! Friends would always seek her help when they wanted to know a tune or lyrics to songs that on many occasions, only she could remember. Mom also loved Christmas carols and would joyously brighten our holidays each year by singing Here We Come A Wassailing. We are so happy she sang it for us one last time at Christmastime, 2019. Yes, our dear mother has indeed imparted heartfelt and treasured memories that are now tucked away in our hearts. When those moments of really missing her descend upon us, we will gently gather those fond and loving memories from our hearts and play them like a slideshow in our minds with the passage of time. Tami is survived by her sister Nancy Joh, sister-in-law Jeanne Kotoshirodo, as well as her immediate family: daughters Elva Young and Rae (John) Yanagihara; granddaughters Shannon Young and Kim (Mike) Taniguchi; and great-granddaughters Mia and Ellie Taniguchi. She is also survived by numerous nieces and nephews, among which Hope and Dennis Koyama and Ed and Pat Kotoshirodo were instrumental in giving their time, assistance and love that brought two thumbs up from mom whenever they visited. We will honor our mother with a private Celebration of Life. Tamiko Tanaka's kindness, pragmatism, determination, strong work and life ethics, as well as her sweet and indomitable spirit will always be remembered and remain in all who were blessed to have known her. Mom will be missed more than words can say, but her deep love and legacy will be etched in our hearts forever.
Our deepest condolences to the family and friends of the deceased
