NAKATA, Sueko (nee Hayashi)

June 25, 2015 — October 24, 2015

Sueko Nakata was born in Steveston, BC on June 25, 1920 and passed away peacefully at the Kelowna Hospice House on October 24, 2015.  She was the fifth and youngest child born to Hirokichi and Yasu Hayashi.  She completed Grade 8 and then was trained to be seamstress as she was skillful and dextrous in sewing, knitting, and crocheting.

She married Eddie (Kiyoshi) Nakata in March 1942, and with her new in-laws, began farming on fields near the present Bennett Bridge. The family then moved to Sunnyside Ranch on Boucherie Road where her three children, Pat, Mike and Kay, were born and raised.  She was a very busy and hardworking woman with three young children and helping when she could in the orchard. In the early days, life pretty rustic and simple — modern conveniences had not yet made their way to Sunnyside….  Imagine washing diapers on a washboard by pumping water and heating it on a wood stove during an Okanagan summer!  Things got better, the family moved into a larger house with electricity, flush toilets and running water.  Life was good!

In the 1950s and early 1960s, numerous nieces and some nephews came for summer work at Sunnyside, and many fond memories and loving relationships were made.

They purchased their own orchard and built their first house. What an achievement and reward for their years of hard work.  They moved from Sunnyside in 1964.  Sue and Eddie sold their farm in 1981(?);  Mike, their son, built their new home on a lot immediately adjacent to their farm.  When Eddie died in 1995, Sue remained in her house until recent years when she moved to the Village at Smith Creek.

She was kind and slightly shy… but had a streak of stubbornness — when pushed, she would not budge!  Her life was all about nurturing and nourishing her family and friends.  She even made homemade soy sauce during the wartime years. She encouraged Japanese culture, celebrations, and customs in her home where she taught her children and grandchildren about food delicacies.  Her greatest joy, other than her children and grandchildren, was to receive visitors and make a lovely meal for them.

She is survived by her children: Pat Morrison and her daughter Valerie; Mike (Joyce) Nakata; Kay (Doug) Robertson and their children, Tara, and James (Crystal) and their daughters Ella and Evangeline; and by numerous nieces and nephews. Predeceased by her husband Eddie in 1995, and by one sister and three brothers.  A private family service will be held in Sueko’s honour in June 2016.

We shall miss our sweet old Mom, but know she is now in a good place.

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