Chizuko Gracia Higuchi

Chizuko Gracia Higuchi was born September 1st, 1949 in Hagi City, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan. She was a kind woman of many interests and accomplishments. She passed away on October 21st, 2025 at the age of 76 after struggling with pulmonary hypertension which wore down her lungs and ultimately her heart.
Since she grew up with lesser means, Chizuko started off at a young age, determined. She was determined to change her circumstances and was adventurous enough to take chances. She was known to always have her head in a book. So much so that her five siblings came to expect her not to do her part of the household chores. But you could count on her to be the last member of the family to have saved her one allotted mikan (tangerine) which was a once-a-year treat. She was an eager student and because of this, she was afforded entrance into Waseda University, one of Japan's highly regarded schools. After graduating, she took a sales job with P-Shine Nail company selling cosmetics and this ultimately landed her an opportunity to come to the United States with a one-way plane ticket and $500 in her pocket in 1979. She met her Japanese husband in America and had a daughter in Las Vegas, Nevada where she worked as a casino dealer since her English was very limited at this time. The family moved after a few years to Palm Springs California where she worked tirelessly as a waitress. Her passion around this time was painting – she loved working with oil paints and was honored to have some of her artwork featured in museum exhibits. When they moved to Orange County, Chizuko began her career as a successful real estate agent which she did for the next 25 years, serving her community of Japanese immigrants. On weekends, she would teach at Asahi Gakuen Japanese School. She also started writing short essays for Rafu Shimpo newspaper and U.S. Frontline and wrote and published her first book, Hana Dakara, Saku (Because I am a Flower, I Bloom).
Throughout her life she loved gardening, the arts, writing and music. She was a long-time member of a choir called Orange County Friendship Choir. She eagerly participated in choir performances at Segerstrom Center of the Arts, despite the nervousness she felt performing. Despite the strain the illness was inflicting on her, one of the few things she could still do was write and she spent the majority of her quiet mornings in front of the computer working on her next book. Determined, kind, and gracious are words that embody her being. She was a wonderful and encouraging mother and grandmother. She gave to her family what was not afforded to her and through example, she showed what was possible in life with her resilience. We will feel her warmth in the sunlight, hear her kind voice in the sounds of the morning birds and see her beauty in the blossomed flowers around us. She is survived by her husband Takehiro Higuchi, daughter Lisa Higuchi and grandson Ryo Bibas.
Please join her family and friends for her funeral mass on November 11th, 2025 at 11am at St. Nicholas Catholic Church in Laguna Woods, 24252 El Toro Rd, Laguna Woods CA 92637. In lieu of cut flowers, her daughter asks for small potted ones instead so that they can be added into the garden that she so dearly loved to tend to.