May Kihara Macnab

May Kihara Macnab

Our courageous, beautiful, world-traveling, mother, grandmother, sister and aunt passed quietly on August 19, 2018 at the age of 78.

May was born in Seattle to Yoshito and Yoshiko Kihara. At the age of two, along with most of the Japanese in the Pacific Northwest, May and her family were sent to internment camp at Minidoka, Idaho.

Returning to Seattle after the war, May went on to graduate as Valedictorian from Garfield High School in 1958. She continued her education at the University of Washington and graduated Magna Cum Laude with a B.S. in Microbiology in 1962. She was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa and Phi Sigma. May left Seattle to attend the University of California at Berkeley and received her M.A. in Microbiology in 1965. While there, she met and married Nicholas Ornston and together they became parents to Alexandra Gray.

May's career spanned forty-eight years and she retired in 2008 from Yale University as a Research Scientist in the Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry Department. During her years at Yale, she met her second husband, Dr. Robert Macnab, who preceded her in death in 2003.

During her years at Yale, May was published in many different scientific journals. Her scientific contributions ranged from microbial physiology to biomechanics. She oversaw all aspects of the lab including the post-doctoral students working there. May soon became the surrogate mother to many of the students who had come from all over the world. She invited them for the holidays, found them housing and attended their weddings. At the same time, she served as Secretary of the CT State League of Women Voters and was the President of the PTSA of Hamden High School.

May returned to Seattle in 2008 and immediately became actively involved with Mercer Island's Friends of the Library, Team Survivor Dragon Boat Team, Garfield High School 1958 Reunion Committee, a Mah Jong group, a Lunch Bunch group, as well as taking many classes with Nikkei Concerns.

May was always interested in the pursuit of learning through reading and travel. May read four to five books per week until the time of her death. Her travels took her to all seven continents, most major landmarks and cities and introduced her to many new friends. After her cancer diagnosis, May continued to live with the same positive energy and zest for life. Illness did not interrupt May's love of travel. She ventured with her sisters to Charleston SC, Iceland, Oregon wine country and Whistler BC. She also took her granddaughter, Lana, on a promised trip to Yucatan and it was a great adventure for both. Before her illness, she traveled with her eldest granddaughter, Maya, to the Galapagos.

Of her many achievements, May received her greatest joy from her daughter and her three granddaughters. The pride and love she felt for them was known to all. For this reason, she traveled to Japan twice a year to visit them. May always marveled that Alexandra would so willingly and capably bring them to Seattle twice a year to visit starting when Maya was seven weeks old.

May is survived by her daughter, Alexandra Ornston (Makoto Ueda), granddaughters, Maya, Lana and Kaya, sisters, Helen Saito, Alice (Shuzo) Takeuchi, and Joice Masuda and numerous nephews, nieces and cousins.

The family would like to thank Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, Evergreen Hospice and Helping Hands for their care and compassion.

In lieu of flowers, remembrances may be made to Planned Parenthood, Seattle Cancer Care Alliance or the League of Women Voters.

A private memorial will be held at a later date.