Barbara Gozawa

Barbara Hanako(Hayashida) Gozawa passed away at home in Torrance, CA. on December 5, 2019 with family at her bedside.

She was born to Ume (Shindo) and Kinzo Ishino on September 8, 1928 in Saitama-ken, Tokyo, Japan. She was the third of 5 children.

She married Keigo Hayashida of Honomu, Hawaii right after WWII. As a young war bride, they sailed to the Territory of Hawaii, where they lived for 10 years and had 4 children. Being raised a city girl with little household responsibilities, she was in for a surprise of her life at Camp 28 and Honomu. She was strong and determined and adjusted well by learning a new language, a new culture and many new skills; and to our benefit, good cooking was one of them. They moved the California in 1956.

Just a year later in 1957, with a young family to raise and care for, she untiringly studied American history and government, using numerous flash cards, to become a naturalized citizen.

She loved her family: children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. She spent, with each generation, many a day holding us in her lap, playing on the floor, making figures with Play Doh. Many an evening she would tell or read Japanese stories with much animation and sound effects. She truly enjoyed going on outings and being with her family at the Redondo Beach pier, museums, restaurants, botanic gardens, Mother’s Day and birthday celebrations.

She loved each of us, in her own special way, as best as she knew how.

Our mother’s interests encompassed anything of art and beauty.

Her love of cooking allowed her to become an excellent cook, in both American and Japanese cuisine. My earliest memories of dinner were of spaghetti and chicken enchiladas. She also made sushi, sukiyaki, koroke, oden, cha shu bao and so many more delicious dishes. She incorporated her sense of artistry in the presentation of her meals, saying “food should always be appealing to the eye was well as to taste”. With all that cooking, she developed a good appetite which I think most of us could attest to.

She attended the prestigious John Robert Power School for modeling.

Her grace, poise and beauty were unmistakable in the way she spoke, dressed, and carried herself and clearly evident in her photos.

Our mother had a passion for sewing and became an expert seamstress. She made most of her and our clothing when we were young. She loved sewing so much she would cut fabric and sew late into the night. Later, when she was not able sew, she still had her keen sense of fashion and today would be considered quite a fashionista.

Because of our mother’s love of flowers she took Ikebana classes, the Japanese art of flower arranging, and she earned a certificate in Ikebana. She and our late sister Luci took an Ikebana class together and had their designs displayed in a floral show. While working for May Co. and Bullocks, she arranged large flower displays for the department she worked in. How fitting that her given Japanese name was Hanako, meaning “flower girl”.

Living a healthy lifestyle was important to her beginning many, many years ago. She began a lifelong quest for a healthy body, initially exercising with Jack LaLanne, the fitness and nutrition expert on TV. I remember watching her with interest as she performed her face and neck exercises with Jack. After that she went to the gym every day.
Our mother took up dancing later in life and became an avid, dynamic and beautiful ballroom dancer. She took lessons twice a week for at least a decade. She attended dances at the Gardena Dance Studio, the VFW in Gardena and at the Hacienda Hotel in El Segundo. Her favorite dances included the West Coast swing, fox trot, tango, samba and cha cha, and marenge.

Later on in life, she slowly became debilitated but she still had a great love of Japanese music and enjoyed her walks outside.

I’ll always remember and cherish the things she taught me (or tried to teach me). How to cook, how to sew, how to be gracious, the art of “Gaman”, how to be “green” or maybe just thrifty, she taught me about strength and determination and the love of life.

She is survived by her son Nelson (Sandra) Hayashida, daughters Sheryl Hayashida and Barbara (Jim) Whitman , her 6 grandchildren, Maury, Malia, Tyler, Kurtis, Jennifer and Bradley and her 5 wonderful great grandchildren, Caden, Maya, Lili’u, Wesson and Hudson.

She is also survived by her brother Takeichi Shindo and sister Chieko Takeuchi. She was predeceased by her daughter Lucianne Smith in 1994, by her first husband Keigo Hayashida in 1996 and Jimmy Gozawa in 1985.

Similar to the tinkling of a bell in It’s a Wonderful Life, when we see, hear or smell things that bring back memories of our mother, please think of it as her way of reminding us that she is still with us.

I am forever grateful for her and celebrate her life. She will be forever in our hearts.