<Begin Segment 23>

MN: Now I'm gonna change the subject again and ask about your parents becoming naturalized U.S. citizens. You mentioned it earlier, and I think you said they went to special classes?

SA: It was at night, it's English for the non-speaking, I guess. And they both (went), we drove at night. (...) While they went (to class), I took sewing classes (so) we would (all be together).

MN: Now, after they became naturalized citizens, did they adopt English names?

SA: No.

MN: Did you attend their naturalization ceremony?

SA: I can't remember. (...)

MN: Can you share with us when your parents became naturalized U.S. citizens, and then you visited your sister in Buffalo, New York.

SA: Right, right.

MN: What was that like?

SA: Oh, it was very exciting because we had just bought a car, a '55 Chevy, and we decided we're going to go visit them. That was the focus, to go visit them, and the main thing was they wanted to use that little green card, oh, they loved it. So we went back and forth on the Peace Bridge every day for over a week.

MN: Your father said, "I'm an American citizen."

SA: (Yes), he just loved that. They were so proud of it. It was such a ninety degree turn that I was amazed. His attitude completely changed. Well, he was that way, pro-American, from the very beginning. So it was easy.

MN: Now, your father passed away in New Orleans. How old was he when he passed away?

SA: Sixty-eight.

MN: And do you remember what year he passed away?

SA: 1957.

MN: Now, when he passed away, did you have a Buddhist or a Christian funeral?

SA: Buddhist.

MN: How did that come about?

SA: It was strictly all my decision. And when I think back, I said, "How in the world did I do this?" but I just wanted the service to be in Japanese. That was the focus. And in the past, (...) he was like a leader. So (for) all the people who passed, he made arrangements to have Buddhist service in New Orleans. He had a contact with (a) Buddhist priest in Chicago. So he would come on the train and stay at our house, so that's how I knew of him. We contacted him again, and this time he came to officiate.

MN: Now your father was cremated, but can you share with us why he couldn't be cremated in New Orleans?

SA: Louisiana at that time had a law that (stated) "no cremation," because it's ninety-eight percent Catholic at that time. So I had to have his remains shipped by train to Memphis to have it cremated. And I'll never forget, it was very costly. I just couldn't believe it. They said, "Well, it's a body; it's a person." So I had to pay full price. I'll never forget that. And we had him cremated. That was after the service was done.

MN: What was the service like?

SA: It was Buddhist, so typical Buddhist service.

MN: Did a lot of people turn out?

SA: The people in the city, I mean, the few we had. We all supported each other very well.

MN: But once again, I was going to ask you, New Orleans didn't have a Buddhist temple.

SA: No.

MN: Where was the...

SA: At the mortuary.

MN: And where is your father buried today?

SA: Evergreen Cemetery in Boyle Heights.

<End Segment 23> - Copyright &copy; 2012 Densho. All Rights Reserved.