Tomita Shimamoto's Obituary
TOMITA-KASHINO SHIMAMOTO
FKA Sandra Sadako Tomita
April 2, 1943 - September 6, 2024
Tomita was born in the Minidoka concentration camp in Idaho during WW2 to Virginia Kashino and Chet Tomita. She spent her childhood and early adulthood in Chicago, Illinois attending the University of Illinois and Parsons College in Iowa where she graduated with a degree in English and education. Tomita spent several years teaching high school English in the public school system of Chicago. She survived the turbulence of the Democratic Convention of 1968 but soon left teaching and lived a more bohemian lifestyle, working multiple jobs, including office work, youth counseling, suicide counseling, night club waitressing, and exploring art, which was her true passion.
Tomita moved out to San Francisco in the seventies and in 1980 met her husband Mark while working as a bookkeeper at the architecture firm where he also worked. They moved to Oakland, then married in 1983 and bought a house in the lower hills where they have remained ever since. She worked as an office manager at several businesses, including medical offices and then Gabel Assoc., an energy consultant, for 22 years, and the Buddhist Church of Oakland, for five years.
Tomita and her family built a life in Oakland together, making many friends along a similar path. Her daughter Tae was the light of her life. Tae moved East for college in 2014 but they remained close and she visited home often. Tae took on many traits of Tomita including a passion for art, shopping, and travel.
Tomita loved their vast travels including many trips to Hawaii, the East Coast, LA, Europe, Mexico, China, Japan, and Malaysia, usually seeing relatives and friends, trying new food, and soaking up the arts and culture. A recent trip to the Minidoka concentration camp in Idaho gave her a greater insight into the hardships her parents had to endure and some closure regarding her feelings towards them. Their three Shelties, and then three cats, gave her love and heartbreak at their loss. She loved the colors and smells of flowers, going to art galleries and museums, and shopping, especially for gifts. Having bad hand-eye coordination and being very accident prone, Tomita never played sports herself but she fell in love with the Golden State Warriors, catching virtually every game on TV.
Tomita was a warm and very honest and open person with great emotional intelligence and could express feelings into words that some people have difficulty doing. She could light up any room she walked into and had a way of making everyone around her, even strangers, feel welcome and accepted. She lived her life with love, joy, laughter, and an encouraging outlook.
Tomita is survived by her husband Mark, her daughter Tae, her extended family in Seattle, Hawaii, Japan, Pennsylvania, and her many friends from all over.
A Celebration of Life Service will be held at the Buddhist Church of Oakland at 807 Jackson St. Oakland, on December 7, 2024, at 11:00 am, followed by a reception. Dress code is bright and colorful.
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