Masako Brown

1929 - 2016

Masako "Mike" Brown, 86, beloved wife, mother, and grandmother of Bristol, CT, passed away peacefully on Monday, December 19, 2016. Masako was born on December 28, 1929 to the late Toyokichi & Haru Fujita in Nogata, Fukuoka, Japan. As a child, she was very athletic, enjoyed sports and would often take a train by herself to the shore to go swimming at the beach. Her parents owned a local bakery and she worked as a bookkeeper for them and other businesses in the area. She met her husband, Lee, who was injured in the Korean War, through her best friend who worked at the hospital in Japan. They married in 1954 and moved to the U.S. in 1956. When she arrived in the U.S., many people could not pronounce her first name, so she took the nickname, "Mike" and only her close friends know her by that name to this day. She was a dedicated wife and mother who loved to travel, returning home to Japan several times, and enjoyed family vacations at the Connecticut shore and traveling with the family to explore and learn more about the U.S. Her favorite teams were the New England Patriots and the New York Yankees (her husband loved the Boston Red Sox, so their daughters witnessed many passionate baseball games between them over the years). Masako enjoyed many years with her Japanese friends, traveling, playing cards and enjoying Japanese cuisine. In earlier years, our families would often get together, all of whom have become close as family, and as a result we all have fond memories to share. In addition to her parents, Masako was predeceased by her husband Lee Brown, beloved daughter Michelle Hasler, and brother Kenzi Fujita. She is survived by her caring daughter and her husband Debbie and Steven Evanoski; dear son-in-law, Todd Hasler; very special grandsons, Steven Hasler and his beautiful wife, Amber, and Jacob Hasler; and her adorable great-grandchildren, Kaylee and Kaiya Hasler; all from Bristol. Masako also leaves behind her dear and beloved sister, Utako Kudoh of Fukuoka, Japan; her dear sisters-in-law, Rhena Martucci and Elaine Gross; her much loved nephews and nieces; and her close furry buddy over the past four months, Lani. Masako's family wishes to acknowledge the wonderful staff at Hartford Hospital, so many who were involved not mentioned here but all played important roles in their compassionate care of Masako during her last days; the doctors, nurses, and technicians on N10, B10-I, CB2; the Palliative Care and Hospice teams; and Chaplains Erica and Tatiana. And a grateful thank you to her hematologist, Dr. Rahman, who gave her 18 years of quality life treating her illness. At Masako's request, there will be no visitation or funeral service. Taylor & Modeen Funeral Home, West Hartford, has care of arrangements. For online condolences, please visit www.taylorandmodeen.com. Memorial donations may be made to the Disabled American Veterans (www.dav.org) P.O. Box 14301, Cincinnati, OH, 45250-0301 - or to the Helen & Harry Gray Cancer Center, Hartford Hospital, Fund Development, P.O. Box 5037, Hartford, CT 06102-5037 (https://giving.harthosp.org/donate).