Kim Y. Gaston

Kim passed away peacefully on August 5, 2018. She is survived by her devoted husband Andrew Gaston, son Anthony, daughters Julia and Monya, granddaughters Mila and Symone, grandson Nicholas, and sisters Jom Bun Selner and Myung Cha Kato. Kim was born in Taegu, South Korea on September 29, 1939. Kim met her husband Andrew in 1960, in Osan, Korea where he was stationed with the U.S. Air Force. They were married the following year and for the next 57 years, until she passed away, they were inseparable. Because of Andrew's career in the Air Force, Kim has been to several interesting places such as McGuire AFB in New Jersey, Tainan AB in Taiwan, Lowery AFB in Denver, Colorado, Hickman AFB in Hawaii, and Taegu AB in Korea. Since Taegu was Kim's hometown, she was able to get reacquainted with her family during the 2 years she was there. Andrew's final Air Force assignment was at McClellan AFB in Sacramento. While living in Taiwan, Kim decided she wanted to become a tailor. Even though she could not speak the language, she enrolled in tailoring school and somehow learned enough to become very efficient. Both Anthony and Julia were born in Taiwan during the 5 years she lived there. When she moved to Denver, Colorado, she immediately enrolled into another tailoring class and refined her sewing skills. Shortly afterwards, she got a job as a seamstress. When the family moved to Hawaii, Kim decided to open her own tailoring shop and did remarkably well. She did all the alterations for Hawaii's first Polo Ralph Lauren store and became the actor Tom Selleck's favorite tailor when he was filming the TV series Magnum P.I. She also did alterations for the comedian Richard Prior several times. When Kim arrived in Sacramento in July of 1987, she immediately obtained employment as a tailor. After a couple years, she again decided to open her own shop. She opened her first shop named Alterations to Go in 1989 at Birdcage Walk shopping center in Citrus Heights. Subsequently, she opened shops in Roseville, Loehmann's Plaza, and How 'Bout Arden in Sacramento. Kim became ill in 2010 and retired in 2013. She was an outstanding well sought-after tailor, with a large customer base. Besides being a superb tailor and business woman, Kim was foremost a loving, devoted wife, wonderful mother and grandmother. Despite all of her success as a business woman, it was clear that her number one priority was always the health and welfare of her family. Kim was very well liked. She also had a great sense of humor and many people tended to gravitate towards her because of her openness. She was also a great cook and loved cooking for others. She will be sorely missed by many but none more so than her loving family. They have lost the focal point of their lives, but rest assured that she is in a much better place that is peaceful and pain free. They all look forward to seeing her again someday. Kim will be laid to rest alongside her loving mother-in-law at the Sierra Hills East Lawn Mortuary in Citrus Heights.