Lily Yuriko Shimodoi

My Grandmother Shimodoi passed away on March 9th 2010. She was a great woman who loved her family very much.

Just some things I remember about my grandmother

Growing up my grandmother would come visit me and my sisters every year. When she would come she would always buy us candy and let us chew gum! Which was a special treat because we were never allowed to chew gum. Almost every year we would take a trip to California to visit my grandparents. My Grandmother would come with us to Disneyland and chase us around the park.

Because my grandmother was a school teacher for 20+ years she was very concerned with our education. When we came to visit or she came to visit us she would give us extra homework assignments to do. She would sit down with us and help us struggle through new math problems or our big chapter books.

At her house my grandmother has a little lemon tree/bush. The lemons that come from her tree are delicious. When I would visit my grandmother would pick the biggest lemons from her tree and let me make homemade lemonade. I loved her homemade lemonade, there is nothing better!

When my mom was diagnosed with Leukemia my grandparents came out and lived with us for 8 months. My grandmother spent her days cooking, cleaning, and caring for her daughter and grandchildren. I'm sure it was very difficult for her to watch her daughter pass away. I know that they are together again!

My grandmother loved her grandchildren. One of her biggest concerns was that she wouldn't be around to watch the rest of them grow up. She has 7 grandchildren ranging from 20 to 1 ½ years old.

Last weekend I had the opportunity to go to my Grandmother's funeral and say goodbye. The funeral was beautiful. It was so interesting to learn more about my grandmother's life during my visit to California. My grandmother sure lived an exciting life! She worked hard and was one of the only members of her family to attend college. She, like me, was a cougar and received a BA in education. She taught school in Hawaii, Japan, and California.

Growing up my grandmother lived in Hawaii. Her parents worked in the pineapple fields and pineapple cannery. Her parents immigrated to Hawaii from Okinawa Japan. My great grandparents were not members of the Church, in fact they didn't even know about Christ. My grandmother and 2 or 3 of her 7 siblings joined the church together. I will forever be grateful for my grandmother's knowledge and testimony of the gospel.

My grandmother was a beloved member of her community, ward, and family. She will be missed, but I'm sure she is happy to be where she is now!