Lillian K. Kimoto Deceased: November 6, 2013 Service Information: Visitation: Sunday, November 17, 2013 2pm until 7pm Funeral Service: Monday, 10am Interment: Rosehill Cemetery following Funeral Service

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Lillian Kimoto Born October 30, 1919

Sister Mitsuyo 1918
Brother Teruo California
Kenji - California

Early years

I was born on October 30, 1919. I have 2 brothers Teruo, Kenji and a sister name Mitsuyo. My father's name was Takeo and my mother's name is Tomeo.

I grew up on a ranch in Parlier, California (near Hanford). The owner of the ranch was a tall German man named Gaw. My father was an important worker who would hire people when he needed them. He acted as the boss. I used to help pick the peaches and grapes which I was paid for.

My mother died when I was 13 years old. She worked herself to death. She was always on the go working on the farm. I remember she use to carry grapes in a large box that were too heavy for her to carry.

After my mother died my father was concerned about his children and always said that he wanted his children to learn good manners. He sent me to sewing school where I learned from a woman who was born in Japan. She was an old fashion type who tried to be a mother to me. She taught me to sew as well as good manners. I learned how to walk and sit properly. I sewed clothing for my sister and brothers.

Moving to Japan

When I was 16 years old I moved to Japan to live with my grandmother in Hiroshima, Japan. I lived there for 5 years. My brother went to Hiroshima High School. After my grandmother died we moved back to the United
States.

Marriage

I got married November 18, 1941 to John Shigeru in California. I met my husband after someone encouraged me to meet him. Go see that family and meet the girl said my husband's friend. My future husband came to the house with his brother-in-law after his sister's encouragement. He was about 28 years old when we met. At first I wasn't very eager to meet him. I had to ask permission from my father to go out with him. Our first date was when we went to a movie in town. After we got married my husband had a flower business located in Los Angeles next to the airport. My husband grew flowers where he sold them to the florists in town. He would cut the flowers in the morning and then take them to the flower market in town where they were sold. We had to give up this business because his place was next to the airport, So this was wartime and in 1942 when the US government began to put Japanese Americans in War Location Camps, my family had decided to move to Utah so we decided to follow them in a convoy of cars loaded up with things we could carry and needed. We left so much behind, I was sad to leave everything we could not take. It was a scary time because we didn't know what was happening. My husband was offered a position as a welder at American Can in Chicago. In those days to travel across the country you had to have a permit with gas ration coupons. My father had a friend in Hooper, Utah and so they decided to move there. We decided to follow them there because it was on the way to Chicago. In 1942, my son Richard was born in a hospital in Salt Lake, Utah. We decided to stay in Utah until Richard was old enough to travel.

Chicago

When we were finally able to move to Chicago my husband began work as a welder at American Can. He did not like this job so he later went to work for a dry cleaning plant to learn a new business. He later opened Johnny's Quality Cleaners. The shirts were sent out to be cleaned while we did the pressing of the clothing at 3034 Van Buren Chicago, IL. In 1948, my youngest son Raymond was born in Chicago.