Tamiko Matsui

Aug 15, 1926 -

Feb 1, 2020

"A refreshing ray of sunshine that warmed the hearts of everyone who got to know her" is how I would describe Mom. Mom was born on Aug. 15, 1926, in Kobe, Japan, and sadly departed in my arms on Feb. 1, 2020. She was the only member of her family to venture outside of Japan. She worked and lived in Honolulu, Hawaii, where she met her husband, Katsura Matsui, an engineer for Japan Airlines.

With a radiant smile and a kind heart, Mom befriended a wide array of people who became a part of the family whom she would love and support. It made me proud to have such a popular mother who touched the hearts and lives of so many people. She was a sweet, cute and feisty people person.

When people spoke about Mom they mentioned her ability to understand them, her willingness to help them in any way possible, her sense of humor and ability to make them laugh, her caring and generous spirit, her wit and intelligence, and her knack for making them feel good and happy. There was also a stubborn streak in Mom, but that was overshadowed by her numerous positive and uplifting qualities. Whenever Mom did something for anyone, it was genuinely from the heart. All she ever wanted in return was for the person to be happy. Mom was always giving people treats and gifts or treating them to lunch and or dinner. She even bought treats for their pets.

Mom was an excellent cook, a skill she passed down to me. She enjoyed making various meals for her friends and their families. She loved being around people and often had get-togethers and different parties, where she entertained everyone with food and laughter. She usually had more than enough food made so that people could take some home with them. Several of Mom's friends told her she should open a restaurant, but Mom said that would be a bad idea. When asked why, Mom said that she would be so busy giving away samples and meals that she would not make any profit and end up in the red.

Looking nice and keeping her brain in good shape were important to Mom. She usually wore a nice sweater or top with black pants, did her eyebrows and wore a tiny bit of lipstick. She said she didn't want to wear too much lipstick because it would make her look like a clown. To keep her brain active, she worked on jigsaw puzzles and played the mahjong tiles on the computer each night with me.

Many remember Mom's sense of humor and ability to make them laugh and feel good. She was skillful at giving people pet names that matched some attribute they possessed and did fairly good impersonations. Even if Mom didn't speak or understand English very well, she could still lift the spirits of those around her. Her smile and happy personality were contagious.

In her later years, Mom loved to go walking in various stores and driving all around Anchorage with me. Going to the stores was dangerous because Mom never came out empty-handed. She always found something to buy to give to someone. She also enjoyed the friendly people at the Starbucks near the corner of C Street and Tudor. Mom would always order her London Fog latte at kid's temperature and an extra pump of vanilla, so whenever we stopped by they would ask if Mom wanted her usual. They would also scrunch down to see Mom's face and greet her. When driving around, Mom became my side driver and entertainment. She had happy feet that moved about as she tapped tunes on my handbag, hummed, pretended to talk to dogs she saw in other vehicles and let me know where she wanted to go. When other drivers cut in front of me or did something wrong, Mom would scold them in Japanese even when she knew they couldn't hear her.

Mom loved nature and animals, so driving around with me was a way for her to enjoy them. She would talk to me about what cloud formations looked like to her and was in awe at the colors of sunrises and sunsets. Autumn and winter were her favorite months because of the way they blanketed the trees and everything with beauty - the vibrant yellow, orange and red of autumn, and the winter frost that looked like clumps of white flowers on the trees. Whenever Mom looked at nature, she wore a smile on her face and was always thankful that she had the opportunity to enjoy it. Another favorite of Mom's was going to Lake Hood to watch the floatplanes, or to the airport to watch the planes land and take off. We sometimes ate lunch as we watched the planes and Mom would say that she was lucky to have such a large dining area with a view.

Mom was the most important person in my life and she will forever remain in my heart and memories. She touched so many people and will always be remembered with a smile and happy thoughts. She is survived by me, her daughter, Dorothy Nobuko Matsui, or "Nonchi", as she called me. She was preceded in death by her parents, Ryusuke and Toshi (Sumiya) Sakai; her five brothers and one sister, all of whom resided in Japan; and her husband, Katsura Matsui.

There will be a viewing on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2020, from 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Legacy Heritage Chapel at Angelus, 440 Klatt Road in Anchorage.