<Begin Segment 27>

TI: Barb, any other questions before we go?

BY: I guess one question is, so if your children live -- you lived in California for a very long time, and both your daughters live in California. So why did you come back to Seattle?

TW: I came back here because my brother was here and I wanted to be by him. But he passed away.

BY: Very shortly after you came.

TW: About a year. Well, Terry, his wife was here, too, and she passed away soon after I got here, and then my brother last year. I love this place, actually, I think it's got a wonderful view, wonderful residents, wonderful staff. So I'm going to stay here.

BY: It's so bittersweet for you that you come back so that you can be with your family and then they all...

TW: Well, he was the only living family left, and now they're all gone. So it's a very lonesome feeling to have them all gone. But Tsuk was really more than just a sister, she was my best friend. She was the greatest sister ever. She would run the Elegant Affair beauty salon, she had that in Bellevue.

BY: And who is this?

TW: My sister Tsuk.

TI: Her younger sister.

BY: Oh, I see.

TW: Do you remember her?

BY: No, I don't. And you now you have your friend, your friend Rose is here, though, too?

TW: Oh, yes, and her husband, what was his first name? Anyhow, her husband has...

BY: Just recently, during Covid.

TW: No, it's before Covid.

BY: Was it before Covid? Yeah, I remember that was...

TW: Rose and I were good friends, so I'm back here with Rose.

TI: And have you been able to connect with any of the prewar Bellevue families that the family knew before the war?

TW: I think the closest Bellevue family was the Mizukawas and the Muromotos. And Miyuki lives in Des Moines. And I think, last time I talked to her, her son... I tried to get her to come here, but she has, now has her son living with her, so she's very comfortable staying in her home. I said, "If you get ready, this is a good place to be." Of course, in the Muromoto family, Kim, the oldest daughter, of course, she's gone. Because the boys, the oldest boy was the same age as Rye, my brother. And about four years ago he was still here. And then they had a younger son, Min, and I don't know what's happened to them. And the Mizukawas came to Des Moines, I think the older son, Hiroshi, had a, I think he had a (nursery) in the middle of Bellevue, in town. There was a garden, a nursery or something, he used to have, like maybe fifteen years ago. And I don't know what's happening there.

BY: Bellevue, I'm sure, is unrecognizable to you now.

TW: Oh, absolutely, right. And even Redmond is just... Kirkland, it's all changed so much.

TI: Well, I just read a recent article that said Bellevue house prices are the highest in the whole country.

TW: That's what I heard. (Yes), I wish we had that...

BY: Yeah, your property.

TI: Your twenty acres?

TW: There are a lot of nice homes on the property now.

TI: Well, with that, we're going to... thank you so much for this interview.

TW: Oh, you're welcome. It's a delight to talk to you, too.

BY: Yeah, it's really interesting. I don't know that much about Bellevue, so it's really interesting to hear that.

<End Segment 27> - Copyright © 2022 Densho. All Rights Reserved.