Sachiko Funches

Sachiko Yamashiro Funches, 77, of Lake Ridge, Virginia, died at home on June 13, 2025, after a short battle with pancreatic cancer.

Sachiko grew up in Naha, Okinawa, Japan. As a child, she was known for her singing ability, and she participated in amateur singing contests. Sachiko met her husband, Robert, when he was stationed at Kadena Air Base in Okinawa in the late 1970s. They were married on June 4, 1981, in Fairfax, Virginia. For over thirty years, Sachiko was a cook for the United States Army at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. She was an active member of Okinawa Kai of Washington D.C. and a life member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) of the United States Auxiliary, Post 1503. She loved listening to Okinawan music, watching Japanese television, and gardening.

Sachiko was preceded in death by her father, Yukio Yamashiro, her stepmother, Fumiko Yamashiro, her mother, and two brothers.

She is survived by her husband, Robert Funches; her sons, Ray Kaegi (Katie), Robert Kaegi (Pat), John Kaegi (Kate), and Robert James Funches (Leslie); her six grandchildren; and her great-grandchild.

The family will receive friends from 5:00 to 9:00 pm on Wednesday, June 25, 2025, at Miller Funeral Home, 3200 Golansky Blvd, Woodbridge, VA, 22192. The interment will take place at 11:30 am on Thursday, June 26, 2025, at the National Memorial Cemetery at Quantico, 18424 Joplin Rd, Triangle, VA, 22172.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made online to the Education Fund for Okinawa Kai of Washington D.C., at okinawakai.org, or the Lustgarten Foundation, which funds pancreatic cancer research, at lustgarten.org.