Setsuko Bushnell

Setsuko Takayama Bushnell, 94, died Saturday, July 26, 2025 at Hospice House in Olathe Kansas.
Setsuko was born on December 12, 1930, to Shusho and Kamato Takayama in the village of Aha at the northern end of the island of Okinawa, Japan. She was the fourth of seven children and a tough little fighter from the very start. It probably came from her proud family lineage that traced eighteen generations back to the Sho Dynasty of the Ryukyu Kingdom in the 1400s that is referenced in the Samurai archives.
Setsuko almost died at birth. Her mother, Kamato, was working in the pineapple field when her labor began. She felt her baby's foot protruding and her first thought was that she would die in childbirth. A midwife was hurriedly called to assist, and the delivery was difficult. Baby Setsuko was delivered stillborn and set aside in a basket as the midwife tended to Kamato. Once Kamato was safely settled, after a period of time had passed, the midwife turned to the lifeless baby and began to massage and frantically fan her with the bamboo lid of the basket to get her to breathe. Finally, little Baby Setsuko took her first gasp of air and began to scream. She survived by the grace of God, the midwife's actions and the sheer force of her unstoppable will which lasted until her dying breath.
Setsuko attended school until the 8th grade, but her graduation was cancelled when United States military forces launched the last major battle of World War II with the Battle of Okinawa in 1945. She told harrowing stories of her family's survival by hiding in caves and on one occasion, narrowly escaping death when she and her parents had returned to their home to forage for hidden food. The pilot, perhaps seeing movement in the house and thinking it hid soldiers, began to rain bullets on them. They clung to each other until the barrage ended. Shaking and shocked to still be alive, her father told her, "The three of us have survived this day, we will survive the war."
Setsuko married Lawrence Bushnell in 1960 in Naha Okinawa, where they met while he was stationed there in the Air Force and she was working at a coffee shop on the base. Together they had four children. Setsu had an older daughter who stayed in Okinawa with Shusho and Kamato when the Bushnells moved to Kansas City, Kansas in 1964.
Setsuko was very proud of her American citizenship that she earned in 1970 after attending weekly classes over several months eagerly learning everything she'd need to know to pass the test to become a citizen and vote.
Through the 1960s and 1970s she was a "typical" American housewife. She raised four children and drilled into them the importance of cleanliness, excellent grades, good behavior and cleaning your plate. The family enjoyed camping and fishing trips, and general admission Kansas City Royals games on occasional Sundays.
Setsuko accepted Jesus as her Savior while attending Wesley United Methodist Church where the Bushnell family started attending in 1974. Larry and Setsu attended until they moved to Olathe. Her faith was important to her and she sought to share it with her Okinawan relatives.
In the mid-1970s, she began working at Bernice's Povitica Bakery. Later, she helped her brother-in-law and sister-in-law on their farm and at their vegetable stall in the Kansas City River Market. Around this time, a chance encounter with a Japanese woman in a department store led to friendship and connections with other Okinawan and Japanese friends. Through one of those connections, she began working in the kitchen at Jun's Sushi Restaurant where she cooked until she was in her 70s and was affectionately known as Mama-san.
By 1999, Larry and Setsu had been empty nesters for a while, but after Larry had health issues, they moved in with their daughter and her family in Olathe. When Larry broke his leg in 2011, they moved into a stair-free condo where they lived for the next eleven years. As Larry's health declined, they transitioned to assisted living, but this arrangement proved difficult for Setsuko. In 2022, Setsuko moved to Shawnee to live with her youngest daughter and son-in-law. Larry passed away in December of 2022, shortly after they celebrated their 62nd wedding anniversary.
Setsuko was tough and demanding with her husband and children, but she was known for her generous heart. Though she stood only 4' 8 ½" tall, (and she jealously guarded that last half inch) she always spoke her mind, often without tact, and as her hearing diminished, conversations became more challenging, confusing and downright hilarious. We will forever laugh through tears when remembering our mother.
Setsuko was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, four of her siblings and her son-in-law, John Nahrebeski. She is survived by five children: Yoko (Kiyomasa) Hokama, Carol (Russ) Wiglesworth, Lynn Nahrebeski, Steve Bushnell (Gina Mentzer), and Roberta (Bob) Harris; eleven grandchildren: Chizuru and Hiromi Hokama, Lee (Megan) Wiglesworth, Kristina (Brian) Anderson, Mackenzie Wiglesworth, Christopher (Ashlee Braun) Nahrebeski, Ally (Joey) Anderson, Tyler and Bailey Bushnell, Lauren and Emily Harris; thirteen great-grandchildren: Rizumu, Rui, and Ruka Nakahara, Stephanie, Mikayla, Amari and Kadyn Wiglesworth, Vivienne Murphy, Christian and Gabrielle Anderson, Nova Nahrebeski, Emma and Lainey Anderson.
She also leaves two sisters, Yone (Gene) Montgomery and Miwako Takayama, and many cousins, nieces and nephews.
The family is grateful to the staff of Olathe Health Home Hospice and University of Kansas Hospice House of Olathe for the kind and compassionate care of our mother during her last months at home and her eleven days at Hospice House.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in our mother's memory.
Olathe Health Charitable Foundation
Fund Development
The University of Kansas Health System
11300 Corporate Ave Mailstop 9241
Lenexa KS 66219-1374
Memo: In Memory of SETSUKO BUSHNELL