Miyoko Janet Linscomb

Miyoko was born Nisei, on September 17, 1934, to Kazuma Yoshida and Tsuyuke Hori Yoshida, in San Luis Obispo, California and resided with her family in Pismo Beach. In 1942, as a result of Executive Order 9066, she and her family were sent to internment camps – first in Tule Lake, California, then later Topaz, Utah – where they were held for the duration of World War II. Upon their release, in 1945, her family relocated to Colorado for a short time before settling in Los Angeles.

Miyoko attended John C. Fremont High School and graduated in 1952. She then attended The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), graduating with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and was a proud, life-long Bruin. She dedicated her life to public education as a member of academic organizations and an employee of the Los Angeles Unified School District where she became an accomplished teacher, trainer, administrator and mentor. Most of her professional life was spent at Denker Avenue Elementary School where she had the fortune of cultivating precious friendships that remained until her death.

Although dedication to her career in public education was paramount, Miyoko’s truest measure was her devotion to her family. It was during the early years of her career that she met Joseph Philip Linscomb and courageously defied the norms of the time and, in August of 1966, married “Phil” in a small ceremony in Chicago; a union sustained by love and devotion for 54 years until Phil’s death in 2020. They raised three sons and were surrogate parents and mentors to countless youth in San Pedro and Los Angeles. She held dear the continued relationships with her sisters’ children. She adored and was extremely proud of her four grandchildren, Jackson, Klara, Sarah and Kai Linscomb and her many grand nieces and nephews.

Miyoko was an avid artist. Her skills and talents extended to her passions for painting and cooking. She was renowned for her incredible meals. With or without invitation, friends were always welcomed and would frequently stop by to fill a plate.

She is preceded in death by her beloved husband, Dr. Joseph Philip Linscomb, her parents, elder sisters Noriko (Higo) Harada and Ikuko (Masanori) Uyehara, niece Yumiko Harada Goody, and close cousins Aubrey and Dora Dunn, Kathleen Dunn and Dorothy F. Gilmore.

She is survived by her three loving sons, David (Mary), Chris (Heidi) and Mark Linscomb; her four grandchildren; nieces and nephews, Robert, John (Myra) and Kane (Sabrina) Uyehara, and Kyoko (Adam) Harada Dole; cousin Dr. Carolyn Dunn and a large extended family that all adored and cherished her. A viewing will be at Green Hills Park on Monday August 7, 2023, with a funeral Mass and internment on August 10, 2023, at Green Hills Memorial Chapel in Rancho Palos Verdes, CA.