The family of Clara Sasaki Hattori is sharing this remembrance:
Clara Sasaki Hattori, a longtime West Seattle resident, passed away on August 28th, 2022 after a brief illness. She was 103.
Her parents, Kokichi and Asa Sasaki, were Japanese immigrants who had a citrus orchard in Rocklin, California, which is where Clara and her 3 siblings (Mildred Iida, Jay and Ernie Sasaki) were born. Clara attended business school in San Francisco and was excited to be employed at the 1939 World’s Fair. Clara’s young adult life was interrupted in 1942 when she and her family were relocated to the Tule Lake Internment Camp along with other Japanese Americans. In 1943, with the sponsorship of an eastern Washington farmer, Clara was allowed to leave the internment camp. Clara married and had two children and she helped farm the potato fields in Moses Lake. From Moses Lake, she ventured to Seattle and lived in West Seattle for the last 58 years.
For those lucky ones who were acquainted with Clara, she shared her bright light and her feisty and warm personality. After retiring as an Executive Assistant in Univar’s corporate office, she was well known at the West Seattle YMCA for greeting members at the front desk and for her daily swims. In fact, she swam well into her nineties.
Clara traveled extensively after retirement and she especially loved to be in the water, whether it was in Hawaii or Lake Chelan. Her zest for life and good humor were infectious. Many will remember her Halloween costumes when she rocked out as Tina Turner or tipped her hat as Charlie Chaplin. And she was famous for her scrumptious Xmas cookies. Clara touched many people and she will be fondly remembered as being a special friend, kind auntie, loving mom to Karen Bocz and Richard Hattori, and the best grandma to Ross Hattori.
Many thanks to Providence Mount Saint Vincent for taking good care of Clara. For those who wish to honor Clara Hattori with a donation, remembrances may be made to the Providence Mt. St. Vincent Foundation in West Seattle or the West Seattle YMCA.
(WSB publishes West Seattle obituaries and memorial announcements by request, free of charge. Please email the text, and a photo if available, to westseattleblog@gmail.com)
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