Rumi Ueno

1936 - 2017

Rumi Ueno

February 20, 1936 - March 31, 2017

Marie Therese Rumi Ueno passed away peacefully on March 31, 2017, after years of declinig health. She was surrounded by many friends in her final days.

Rumi was born in Kobe, Japan and was predeceased by her father Bunichiro Ueno and her mother Michi Ueno. She is survived by her sister Sumie Ueno who lives in Japan.

After attending Sacred Heart School in Japan, Rumi came to the United States in 1955 to attend and graduate from Radcliffe College. She worked in marketing in the United States before her first marriage to Donald Kurtz in 1966. Work in Brazil, Thailand,

Hong Kong and South Korea followed. After her marriage to Michael Elsner in 1981 she lived in San Francisco. Before their divorce, Rumi was a great help caring for her mother-in-law in Vienna and eventually for her own mother in Japan.

Rumi lived in Cow Hollow for over thirty years. She worked for the Elmec Company in marketing and for various San Francisco stores such as Cartier and Gumps. She invited artists to stay in her home and studio where they created monotype prints on her press. She had a passionate interest in the arts.

Rumi hosted many delightful gatherings and meals for her friends from around the world. She surrounded herself with flowers in her home and garden to be enjoyed by all.

Thank you Rumi, from all of your loving friends.

There will be a celebration of Rumi's life at a later date. Donations in her memory may be made to the San Francisco Art Institute or Doctors Without Borders.