Densho Digital Repository - Mary Kato - Frances Kajita Nishi Interview (Densho ID: ddr-densho-1000-494-19)

<Begin Segment 19>

BY: All right. Let's talk about raising a family now. So, Mary, did you and George have children?

MK: No. That's why when everybody else was raising children, we were in a little travel club.

BY: Some kind of club?

MK: They used to have a lot of, it was a little travel club which we were... so they'd have a meeting and offer various trips.

BY: Travel club.

MK: So we'd take those little trips to a different town or different place.

BY: So maybe ask her where did they travel to?

MK: See, by then, the Katos had bought a ten acre lot outside College Place that they had owned. And so that's where I was after I got married. We had an onion farm, cucumbers, strawberries, beans, all kinds. And mainly sweet onions.

BY: Oh, Walla Walla onions.

MK: When my brother's kids, they had to come and cut onions. [Laughs]

TI: So where are some of the places you traveled with the club?

MK: We went to, across the United States, you know. We went to the new world, got to Europe. We had some good trips.

TI: What was your favorite?

MK: Oh, not really favorite, but like England and Ireland, Scotland. All those little tourist places that we go. And Italy and Paris a little bit, and the museums in Spain.

BY: Okay, Frances, how about you? Did you and Roy have children?

FN: Yes.

BY: Ages, names?

FN: We had Leanne Nishi-Wong.

BY: I know Leanne, uh-huh.

FN: And we have a son, Ron Nishi. And so they both live in this area.

BY: And what did you do when your children were young? Did you stay home and take care of them, were you working? What did you do?

FN: Well, when I got, when I was still working, my husband decided that he was going to move to Seattle from Walla Walla. And so I quit my job, and right after I quit my job, then he changed his mind and decided to stay in Walla Walla. So then I became a housewife all that time. So after we got married, Leanne arrived, then Ron arrived, and so I was a housewife all my life. So I enjoyed the life of golf, bowling. [Laughs]

BY: Did you do traveling as well?

FN: Traveling.

BY: And was he working for Bonneville Power all that time?

FN: Yes, he worked for Bonneville Power, then he retired, and then he took a job as the manager of the Port of Walla Walla. So he worked for the Port of Walla Walla for seven years after thirty years with the Bonneville Power. And so all during the time that we were married, we also traveled. So we went, took six-week trips to the southern part of the United States, another six-week trips to the north part of the United States.

BY: Driving trips?

FN: Driving trips. So six weeks of driving across the country. And then after that, we took trips to Mexico every year for a couple weeks, I mean, couple months.

BY: So you really never left Walla Walla then until recently.

FN: Until recently, yes.

BY: And how about Mary? I want to ask her that. So it sounds like all three siblings, then, were in Walla Walla together for many, many years.

FN: Yes.

BY: And Gus is still there.

FN: Habo is still there.

BY: Yeah, I read the article. It's a great article.

MK: Oh, George began to have health problems, all kinds of problems. And then her daughter and the family, they kind of took us in, you know. And so we lived with Leanne and the family until... anyhow, George got sick and passed away in 2018. And then she's taking care of me now. [Laughs]