Chiyoko (Yoshihisa) Roper's Obituary
Chiyoko Roper, 88, of Lakewood and Olympia peacefully passed away on November 18, 2020.
She was born on June 24, 1932 in Tokyo, Japan to Misuzou Yoshihisa and Gin Ito Yoshihisa.
After surviving the war, Chiyoko met Robert (Bob) A. Roper from Kennett, Missouri while working at the
commissary in Japan and they soon married in 1954. Chiyoko and Bob lived in Japan until 1963 when
Bob, who was in the U.S. Army, was assigned to Fort Belvoir, Virginia. Chiyoko worked at the Occoquan
Marina along the Potomac River. She promoted from a short–order cook to marine parts manager,
where she met a number of well-known people, including Jimmy Hoffa whose yacht was docked there.
(No, she did not know to where he disappeared.) When Bob transferred to Germany, the family moved
to Kaiserslautern, and Bob retired from the military after 21 years of service. The family moved to
Tacoma in 1969 and Chiyoko began working at the McChord Base Exchange, retiring from there as a
department manager in 1993. Chiyoko enjoyed travelling, fishing, clamming, playing slots at casinos, and
most of all, spending time with her family. Chiyoko especially enjoyed taking her grandchildren to the
beach, swimming pool, and the movies. Family enjoyed Chiyoko’s sukiyaki and sushi. She could have
been a professional chef but joked that she’s only a professional eater. Chiyoko is survived by her
daughter, Joyce (Steven); sons, Carl (Debra) and Glen (Rima), sister-in-law (Hiroko), seven grandchildren,
one step-grandson, and three nephews and a niece. She was preceded in death by her loving husband,
Robert (Bob), and two brothers, Hideo and Tsugio, and her sister-in-law and dear friend, Kahoru. She
also recently lost her pet dog companion, Penny. Due to the current restrictions, only an immediate
family gravesite service will be held. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be sent to a
dementia research organization of your choice. Arrangement by Mountain View Funeral Home.
Remembrances may be shared at www.mountainviewtacoma.com.
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