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Classmate Harriet Osborn Martin writes on 11/24/2017...
A few weeks ago I was unwell so spent a few days looking through my correspondence archive hoping to thin it out! In the process I found letters I, my parents and my grandmother received from Fusako and her father after she left. Fusako's father, Hiroshi Hashizume taught English at Kobe University and later in the Kansai University of Foreign Studies. He visited my parents in Batavia twice.
Fusako started work in Osaka at Mitsubishi Shoji Kaisha Ltd. in 1962 after graduating from her Japanese high school that spring. Aged 22 in 1963 she married a colleague, Noboru Higashiya. She wrote in 1964 to say they had a baby girl, Yuka, and also to say she had met up with Mr. Bryne in Kyoto! A second daughter, Yurilo, was born in 1968.
In 1973 her family moved to Taiwan. As a family we seem to have lost contact with her after that.
When I Googled "Fusako Higashiya" a few weeks ago I found her name on a site for international bridge competitions. I wrote to Anna Gudge, the site owner, asking for Fusako's contact details. Anna emailed back today to say Fusako had died on Nov. 5th, 2011.
I had tried to Google her a few times previously, but had forgotten her married name. This month I found it on the old letters and tried again. It comes across clearly in her letters how much she had enjoyed her time at Batavia High School.
Harriet
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Sandra Sterling (Weiler)
I am so sorry to hear of "Deko's" passing. She was a joy to know and I always hoped we would be in touch with her someday. Harriett thank you so much for your research and finding that she had a family. Sandy Sterling Weiler
Donna Gehlert (Russell)
Harriet,
Thank you so very much for sharing this with us. Deko was such a joyus addition to our class, and we tried to locate her, especially for our 50th reunion . . . one of only two we were unable to find. We so appreciate being able to know something of her life ater leaving Batavia, and sadly, of her demise.
Again, thank you.
Donna Gehlert Russell
Linda McGarigal (Shafer)
Harriet,
Thank you for sharing this information. I so sorry to hear of Deko's passing.
Linda
Harriet Osborn (Martin)
I regret now very much not searching my parents' old letters for Deko's married name and doing a Google search in time for our 50th.
Jim Minor
One memory of Deko that stands out for me was the fact that she played the marimba. Word went out for anyone who had one and would be willing to lend it to her. My parents had an old marimba (with polished wooden keys) that as younger kids my brothers and I dug out in our attic on occassion and "played" (our greatest accomplishment might have been a moving rendition of "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star") . It was sadly in need of some tender loving care but Deko graciously accepted it, did what was necessary to tune it and even gave a performance with it in the HS auditorium. It was a weird experience to see it on stage so transformed from it's humble attic abode (and played so much better).
Harriet Osborn (Martin)
Fusako with Helen (Mark) Soanes roasting marshmellows.
Harriet Osborn (Martin)
Fusako (Deko) with Harriet (Osborn) Martin on our graduation day.