Toshiye Shimomura Hirose

1921 - 2025

Toshiye Shimomura Hirose
09/26/1921 - 10/15/2025
Toshiye Shimomura Hirose passed away in San Francisco, CA on October 15, 2025. Toshiye (Toshi) was born in King City, CA on September 26, 1921, the daughter of Shungo Mimura Shimomura and Umeko Shimomura. Toshi was the eldest of eight children. Her early years were spent in Spreckels, California, where her father farmed. Toshi always described herself as a farmer's daughter, and she and her siblings contributed on the farm by irrigating, weeding, and picking crops. As the eldest child, Toshi often helped out as a second mother to her seven younger siblings, and those relationships remained strong throughout their lives.
Toshi started taking piano lessons in third grade. She began playing piano at the local church as a high school student. Toshi graduated from Salinas High School in 1939 and from Salinas Junior College in 1941.
In July 1942, during World War II, the Shimomura family was evacuated by the U.S. Government to an internment camp in Poston, Arizona. In February 1944, after almost two years at Poston, Toshi and her sister Sachi traveled by train to Philadelphia, to a relocation office for the resettlement of evacuees. The rest of the family joined them in Pennsylvania later that year, eventually settling in New Jersey.
In January 1948, Toshi married George Magotaka Hirose, a Presbyterian minister serving in Long Beach, California. They enjoyed a cross-country honeymoon on the train from Pennsylvania to California. Toshi became actively involved in George's pastorates, teaching Sunday School, playing piano and organ, and performing many administrative duties.
George and Toshi had four children-Elizabeth, Laura, Peter, and John. Over the years the family lived in Hollywood, CA; Princeton, NJ; San Francisco; Salt Lake City; Lewistown, MT; Hazelton, ID; and Weiser, ID before moving to San Francisco in retirement in 1986.
Toshi was a loving and devoted behind-the-scenes force in her many roles as sister, minister's wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and friend.
Toshi was preceded in death by her husband George Hirose (2006) and brothers Lincoln (2015); Joshua (2016); and Taro (2022).
She is survived by daughters Eizabeth Hirose and Laura Hirose Olson; sons Peter Hirose and John Hirose; grandson Arman Hirose-Afshari and great-granddaughter Sonoya Hirose-Afshari; sisters Sachi Furuya, Anne Moore, and Mariko Shimomura; and brother David Shimomura (Shioko).
A memorial service will be held at Christ United Presbyterian Church, 1700 Sutter Street (at Laguna), San Francisco, CA on Saturday, December 13, 2025, at noon.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Christ United Presbyterian Church.