Elsie Masaye Okamoto Shiramizu

Elsie M. Shiramizu

Elsie Masaye Okamoto Shiramizu passed away on December 19, 2012. She was born on February 6, 1929 in Salinas, California to Fred and Hanako Okamoto. During World War II, her family was placed in a relocation camp in Poston, Arizona. She met Danzo "Date" Shiramizu upon the family''s relocation to the Davis County area.

She and Date were active at Davis High School where she graduated and in activities with the Syracuse Buddhist Church. They were married on October 1951, and celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in 2001.

Elsie graduated from the Dee Memorial Hospital with a Hospital Nursing Degree. She worked many years at Tooele Army Depot, Hill Air Force Base Infirmary, Dee Memorial Hospital, and with Weber County Health Department with the Migrant Farmers Program. She last worked at Weber State University Nursing Program where she taught second year nursing in Psychiatry and Pediatric from 1973 until 1993 when she retired as Professor Emeritus in Nursing in 1993. She received Bachelor''s and Master''s Degrees in nursing from the University of Utah and a Doctorate Degree in education from Brigham Young University.

In 1957, she joined Epsilon Sigma Alpha (ESA) International Sorority, a philanthropic organization raising money for St. Judes Children''s Research Hospital. She had been a member for over 50 years holding many offices on the local, state, and regional levels, including being installed as International President in 1977 to 1978. For many years, she and Date volunteered with the local Red Cross Disaster Team, Roy Historical Society Museum, Weber Human Service Aging Board, and she shared her experiences in the relocation camp with public school children in Weber and Davis Counties. She crocheted and knitted for St. Benedict''s and St. Judes Hospitals. She and Date established the Elsie and Danzo Shiramizu Scholarships for students through Weber State University and ESA.

She was an active member of the Ogden Buddhist Temple and Buddhist Women''s Association where she held many leadership positions. She enjoyed going to Wendover with the Roy Hillside Senior Citizen. She was honored as queen along with her husband as king of the Roy Hillside Senior Citizen Center at Roy Days in 2005, and was honored at the Japanese American Citizens League Days of Remembrance in 2006. Her interests included traveling and caring for her grandchildren.

Elsie is survived by her loving husband, Date; children, Shauna Riley, Dr. Bruce Shiramizu, Dr. Stanton Michels, Wayne and Lisa Shiramizu; grandchildren, Amy Jo Shiramizu and Kyler Shiramizu; brothers, Howard Okamoto, William Okamoto, Walter Okamoto and sister, Jane Rouzer.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Hanako and Sakujiro Moriyama, and Fred Okamoto, sister Emma Stewart, nephews Walter Stewart and Jeffrey Okamoto, and son-in-law, Henry Riley.

Memorial services will be held on Saturday, December 22, 2012 at 1 p.m. at Ogden Buddhist Temple, 155 North Street, Ogden, Utah. Friends may visit with family on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Ogden Buddhist Temple.

Services entrusted to Lindquist''s Ogden Mortuary.