KANAYE CONNIE MATSUO (SAKAMOTO)

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KANAYE CONNIE MATSUO (nee SAKAMOTO) Kanaye Connie Matsuo was born on July 20, 1919 in Vancouver, BC. As the first in her family to be born in Canada, her beloved grandfather, Daisaku Izumi, named her Kanaye in honour of her country of birth. Kanaye was the eldest of seven daughters born to Hatsune and Heikichi Sakamoto. She spoke fondly of her early years in Vancouver, attending Strathcona School and the Vancouver Japanese Language School until her early teens. In order to help her parents and younger siblings, Kanaye left school to work in the local sewing factory. In 1941, Kanaye married Hisashi Matsuo in Vancouver. The newlyweds settled in at Hisashi's berry farm on Mount Lehman Road where they looked forward to starting a family. Soon after the birth of daughter Janet, the family had to leave their farm and belongings behind and were moved to Manitoba due to the forced evacuation of all Canadians of Japanese ancestry during the Second World War. Kanaye's experience during this time has been the subject of many media articles, including Maclean's magazine, the Winnipeg Free Press, and the Nikkei Voice. After many moves within the outskirts of Winnipeg, the Matsuo family finally settled in North Kildonan and welcomed son Rodney and daughter Sharon. Kanaye's expertise in the sewing industry kept her busy as a supervisor at many local factories, including Viceroy Clothing and Westcott Jeans. In addition to working fulltime and raising a family, Kanaye was also a dedicated member of the Manitoba Buddhist Church and was often working behind the scenes for the Fujinkai. After 52 years in the sewing industry, Kanaye retired at 66 years of age. But she could not stop working for very long. In 1987, at the age of 68, Kanaye was recruited as the volunteer manager at the newly formed Manitoba Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre. Her dedication to her second career is legendary. The first person to arrive in the morning and the last person to leave at night, Kanaye devoted all her energy into making the Centre the success it is today. She organized many of the fundraising activities at the Centre, especially all of the Japanese cuisine events, including Donburi Lunches, Cuisine Night, Sukiyaki Dinner, and all of the private catering events. She freely shared all of her family recipes with the Centre, many of which are still used today. Fully bilingual, Kanaye was often called upon to translate documents and interpret for visitors from Japan. Due to her work with the Centre, Kanaye was asked to join former Mayor Glen Murray as part of the official Winnipeg delegation to Setagaya, Japan. After volunteering seven days a week for 22 years, Kanaye retired a second time at 90 years of age. She moved into Devonshire House I in her retirement but soon could be found sewing grocery bags for the residents, family, and friends. With donated material, Kanaye sewed over 500 bags for use by local charities. Although small in stature, Kanaye was larger than life. She lived by her Buddhist beliefs of compassion and kindness for all. She dedicated her life to helping her community and we are grateful that she lived a long and fruitful life. Kanaye passed away peacefully on Tuesday, March 18, 2014. Kanaye was predeceased by her husband Hisashi (1986); mother Hatsune (1975); father Heikichi (1957) and sisters Yoshie (1921), Hiroye Barbara Nikaido (2002), Mitsuko Mitsy Matsumoto (1978), Itsuko Irene Okano (2010), and Takako Deanna Takahashi (1995). Kanaye is survived by her children, Janet (Len) Matsukubo of Ottawa, Rodney (Jan) Matsuo of Sydney, Australia, and Sharon (Ron) Buss of Winfield, BC. She will be missed by her grandchildren David (Carolyn) Matsukubo, Andrew (Myriam) Matsukubo, Danielle (Neil) Matsuo, Jaime (Adrianna) Matsuo, Jon (Emily) Buss, and Joel Buss. Her memory lives on in her great-grandchildren Jenna, Mika, Juliette, Jack, Asher, Kale, Scarlett, and Makena. Also mourning her passing are sister Shizuko Lucy Shimoda as well as many nieces and nephews. The family would like to thank Devonshire House I, all of the Homecare aides, and the staff of Middlechurch Personal Care Home B2 for their excellent care. As well, our appreciation is extended to the Okano family niece Pamela, nephew Allan (Shirley, Adam, Ryan), and furry companion Ruby for their dedication over the years. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent in Kanaye Connie's memory to the Japanese Cultural Association of Manitoba, 180 McPhillips Street, Winnipeg, MB, R3E 2J9. A celebration of her life will be held in July 2014. Bardal Funeral Home and Crematorium 843 Sherbrook Street, 204-774-7474 Condolences: www.bardal.ca

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Mar 22, 2014