Lily Yuriko Sasaki

1930 - 2019

Lily Yuriko Sasaki passed away peacefully on February 17, 2019 at the age of 88. She was born on August 21, 1930, in Walnut Grove, California, to Hitoshi and Emiko Shinozaki. Lily was the eldest of six children, and the only daughter. She had five younger brothers, Eugene, Richard, James, Harvey, and Frank.
During World War II, Lily and her family were relocated to Amache, Colorado. After the war, her family returned to Walnut Grove where Lily graduated from Courtland High School.
After graduation, Lily moved to Lodi with her family, where her father and uncle started a grocery business. Lily attended community college in Stockton, majoring in Business, and worked at Western Auto Supply as a bookkeeper. Through friends, she met the love of her life, George Sasaki, and they were married on June 7, 1953.
Lily was an active member of the Lodi Buddhist Church, where she was a Sunday School Teacher from 1965 to 1977. She was also an active member of the Lodi Buddhist Women's Association. Lily participated in the Parents Club at Reese School, where her children went to elementary school. For over 18 years, Lily worked at Sak's TV Service and Repair, in Customer Service, and retired in July 2005.
Lily was a loving and supportive wife and mother. She was the heart and soul of her family. Lily had a full life, and often said that the best years of her life were being married to George and having their children, Brian and Linda. She will be greatly missed, but her legacy will continue to live on.
Lily was preceded in death by her parents, Hitoshi and Emiko, brothers Eugene and Richard, and her beloved husband of 62 years George. She is survived by her son Brian (Cindy) Sasaki, daughter Linda (John) Byrd and their son Alec. She is also survived by her three brothers, James, Harvey, and Frank Shinozaki, six sisters-in-law, and many, many, loving nieces and nephews.
A memorial service for Lily was held on March 2, at the Buddhist Church of Lodi, with Reverend Masanari Yamagishi officiating.