Yoneko Watanabe

Yoneko Hirai Watanabe

February 23, 1919 ~ August 9, 2016

Yoneko Hirai Watanabe, 97, a long-time resident of Ogden, passed away peacefully on August 9, 2016 at Mountain Ridge Assisted Living Facility. Born on February 23, 1919 in Seattle, Washington to Seikichi and Haru Kondo Hirai, Yoneko was raised with her sister and two brothers. She spent her first 23 years in the Rainy State, graduating from Fife High School in Fife, Washington, spent one year at the Japanese Internment Camp at Minidoka, Idaho, and has lived the last 73 years here in Utah where she raised her two sons and two daughters.

Yoneko married Minoru Watanabe on February 26, 1944 in Weber County and they were happily married until his passing in the summer of 1985.

A member of the Ogden Japanese Christian Church, Yoneko loved to dance. Square dancing and line dancing were here favorites. She also enjoyed playing cards, especially canasta and bridge, fishing, and sewing. She made amazingly creative Halloween and school play costumes for her children.

Yoneko was a loving wife and mother who will be honored and celebrated always by her sons, Jimmy Watanabe of Ogden and Gary (Gedde) Watanabe, Pasadena, CA; daughters, Caroline Hanna of Denver, CO and Irene Kinoshita of Newport Coast, CA; four grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren, and by her brother, George Hirai of Coos Bay, OR. In addition to her husband, Minoru of 41 years, Yoneko was preceded in death by her parents, brother, Hiroshi Ted Hirai; and sister, Mutsu Yanagita.

The family would like to thank the staff of Mountain Ridge Assisted Living, Dr., Gary Holland and the entire staff of Comfort Worx Hospice, and Reverend Robert Nakaoka of the Ogden Christian Church for their attentive care.

To honor Yoneko’s modest wishes they kindly request no koden be sent or provided.

Cremation services were entrusted to Lindquist’s Ogden Mortuary.