Shizue Suzy Hirooka

Shizue Suzy Hirooka - Died in Petaluma on April 7, 2011. Born in Ukiah, California, on September 9, 1921, Suzy graduated from Ukiah High School, where she was a gifted student. Growing up in rural Ukiah, she learned to appreciate the natural world around her, the meaning of hard work, and the closeness of family. In 1942, Suzy and her family were evacuated from Ukiah and incarcerated in a relocation camp in Colorado. In 1944, Suzy married John M. Hirooka, the love of her life (who predeceased her in 1977). It was also in 1944 that Suzy was released from the camp to work in the War Relocation Department in Washington, D.C. She worked there while her husband served in the U.S. Army in the European theater of war. Suzy and Johnnie returned to California in 1947. After the births of her beloved sons Tommy (who predeceased her in 1969) and Terry, Suzy worked at Hamilton Air Force Base until it closed. She then worked for the Department of Agriculture in San Francisco until she retired. Suzy traveled extensively throughout the U.S., both with her work with the War Relocation Department and for the Department of Agriculture. Personal travel took her to Japan and to South America. She was known as a first-rate poker player, a skilled seamstress, a gardener, a voracious reader, and an avid sports fan. Suzy is survived by her son John Terry Hirooka, sister Holly Onomiya, and niece Marsha Onomiya Evans. Suzy was an accomplished and remarkable woman, and she will be sorely missed by the family and friends who knew and loved her. A private graveside service was held on April 12, 2011.