Mitsu Miura Houston's Obituary
On July 28, 2014, Mitsu M. Houston quietly passed away at her daughter's residence about a month after being diagnosed with hepatic cancer. She was nearly 92 years of age. Mitsu was born on August 24, 1922 in Sapporo, Japan to Yoshizo and Haru Miura. She had three sisters and one brother whom she had survived. As a young woman in Japan, she worked a couple of different jobs and managed her own small business. Mitsu married James A. Houston, an American G.I., in 1955 in Japan. Being a military spouse, she lived in army bases located in New Jersey and Germany. She and her family settled in Washington State where her husband retired from military service at Fort Lewis. She was a stay at home mother raising her two children Elizabeth and James. She stressed the importance of excelling in education and achieving success to her children. As her children were reaching adulthood, Mitsu engaged in many endeavors. She attempted to strengthen her grasp of the English language by going back to school. She also connected with her artistic side by taking up pottery, sculpting, and her true passion of painting. She enjoyed dancing and going to Las Vegas. She cared for her husband at their Lake City home until he passed away in September 1984 of a brain tumor. After her husband's death, she changed her residence numerous times in the Renton area. She enjoyed caring for her daughter's grandsons, as her daughter restarted her engineering career at Boeing. She enjoyed regular visits with her son in her later years, going to Uwajimaya to eat. She is survived by her daughter Elizabeth and her grandsons Terry, Kevin, and Brian along with her own son James. The most important things to Mitsu were her family, independence, and pride. Her remains are inurned at Mountain View Funeral Home in her husband's grave site. A memorial service will take place involving close family members at her daughter's home.
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