<Begin Segment 20>

TI: And so when you're in Renton, you started raising a family, too. I think you had a daughter?

MO: Yeah.

TI: So tell me, what's the name of your daughter?

MO: Lorraine Akemi.

TI: And I have her that she was born in 1959?

MO: Yeah.

TI: So that's kind of the questions I have. I guess reflecting, your life is incredibly interesting to me. Starting with Steveston, growing up there in more of a fishing place, then going to Minto Mine, Winnipeg, and Toronto, then to Renton, I mean, your life has gone through lots of curves that were kind of forced upon you. But I'm curious, what advice would you have for a young person? Like if you think about having, maybe, a great grandchild or something, what would you want this person to know? I mean, just for a young person, what advice would you have for a young person?

MO: For what?

TI: About life, about living life?

MO: Well, I think living here is pretty good. United States is just like Canada, you know. I don't think any difference.

BY: I have a question. Did you become a U.S. citizen or are you still a Canadian citizen?

MO: I took out U.S. citizenship in 2000.

BY: Okay, and how about your wife?

MO: Yeah.

BY: And why did you decide that?

MO: Well, I don't know why we took out the U.S. citizenship or not. I don't know why. [Laughs]

BY: Because it sounds like you lived, like, forty years here, and then you decided, okay.

MO: Yeah.

BY: And your daughter is an American citizen.

MO: American-born, yeah, she didn't have any problem.

BY: So do you have any grandchildren? Do you have any grandchildren?

MO: Yeah, I have two (granddaughters).

BY: Grandchildren? Okay, so how old are they?

MO: They're about thirty. One of them is married to a Frenchman, and the other one, older one just got married, Japanese, he's in Hawaii.

BY: So when you see them and you talk to them, do you ever give them any kind of advice or share your stories? What's something that you tell your grandchildren?

MO: Grandchild? [Laughs] I don't know what to tell them.

TI: Mak, you're so nice. Our dads tell us...

BY: Tell us stuff all the time.

TI: ...tell our kids... [Laughs]

MO: I don't know what to tell them.

BY: Some people say, "Work hard, get an education," that kind of stuff.

MO: Oh, yeah, you know, older one is a doctor (of pharmacy).

BY: So they are doing fine.

MO: Doing pretty good.

TI: Yeah, I don't think our kids need us either. Well, that's my questions. Do you have anything else?

BY: No, I don't.

TI: Mak, this was wonderful, this was delightful. I had such a good time.

MO: I had a good time. I mean, I'm the only one living in my family now.

BY: Of all your siblings?

MO: Yeah.

BY: Even Ellen?

MO: Yeah, Ellen passed away, too. I'm the only one living now.

BY: You're the second oldest, and you're the only one who's left?

MO: Yeah.

BY: So did Norm ever, he came back? Norm came back to the U.S.?

MO: No, he never came back to U.S. He was in Vancouver.

BY: Oh, oh, but he left Japan.

MO: He was working in North Vancouver.

TI: But do you have any family left in the Vancouver area?

MO: Yeah, Norm's family, wife, and she's got two girls, and they're both married to hakujins. So I got relatives in Vancouver, (also in Winnipeg), I got relatives on wife's side in Toronto.

TI: Okay, well, thank you, so much.

<End Segment 20> - Copyright © 2022 Densho. All Rights Reserved.