Obituary

Lily Miyahara Turuda passed away peacefully in her sleep on 2 May 2017. She was the widow of Roy Yasuyuki Turuda and the mother of Janet Turuda Clevenstine, wife of Emmert Corbin Clevenstine.

She was born in Gardena, California, on 13 August 1921 to Saikuma and Itsu Kawakubo Miyahara, now deceased. During the Second World War, she and her parents, like others of Japanese descent, moved involuntarily inland from the West Coast. Married toward the end of the war, the young couple moved to Chicago, where they spent the rest of their lives.

She was the fond sister of her brothers, Itsuro Miyahara and Saburo Miyahara, also now deceased, and an attentive and generous sister-in-law and aunt to their wives and children, as well as to the husbands and children of her husband’s sisters, the late Sachiko Turuda Morimoto and Hideko Turuda Kurita.

She enjoyed travel, the company of family and friends, and looking her best, especially in the color purple. She was skilled at sewing and other needlework. She was successful at games of chance, such as poker and bingo. A lifelong teetotaler, in later life she appreciated a good root beer float. As a native Californian raised near Hollywood, she knew and loved films -- particularly American films of the 30's and 40's -- and their stars. She had a good ear for music and a pleasant singing voice.

A gathering of remembrance will be held at Lakeview Funeral Home, 1458 West Belmont Avenue, Chicago, at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday May 10, preceded by a visitation from 5:00 p.m. Burial will take place at Montrose Cemetery, 5400 North Pulaski Road, Chicago, at a date to be determined. In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory may be made to the Japanese American Service Committee, 4427 North Clark Street, Chicago IL 60640, or to Christ Church of Chicago, 6047 North Rockwell, Chicago, IL 60659.

For further information, please contact Lakeview Funeral Home: (773) 472 6300 or visit www.lakeviewfuneralhome.com