Mitsue Oji

Mitsue Oji of Yuba City, CA was born in Torrance, CA on March 12, 1920. She passed peacefully in her home surrounded by her family on March 13, 2016 determined that she would reach her 96th birthday, which she did, exceeding her goal by a day. Mitzi, as she was known, was preceded in death by her parents and four siblings. She is survived by daughters Jane Schroeder (husband, Curt) of Yuba City, CA and Helen Oji (husband, Charles Luce) of New York City, NY. She is also survived by three granddaughters; Megan Schroeder of Pacifica, CA; Jordan Spencer (husband Nickolas) of Portland, OR; and Yoko Kikuchi of Oakland, CA.During high school, Mitzi and her family moved to Santa Maria, CA. In Santa Maria, at the age of 19, she met her future husband, Henry. When war was declared in the Pacific, Mitzi's family was interned in Gila River Internment Camp, AZ. Shortly after, she and a friend from the camp were sponsored and relocated in Chicago. After the war ended, she moved to Santa Barbara, CA. A year later, she and Henry married, and lived in Keenesburg, CO. Before long they returned to California, first to Clarksburg, then in 1951, to Yuba City. Mitzi always had a passion for clothing and sewing. Indeed, she became highly skilled in creating her own designs. Many young girls, including her daughter Helen, benefited from her sewing expertise through her involvement in 4-H. Unbeknownst to many, Mitzi was known to be a bit of a card shark. If you innocently decided to play against her, more times than not you were on the losing end! In lieu of flowers, Mitzi requested that donations be made to Rideout Hospice, 939 Live Oak Blvd, Yuba City, CA 95991. Funeral arrangements have been made by Ullrey Memorial Chapel. A memorial service is planned for April 9, 2016 at 2:00 p.m., at the Marysville Buddhist Church, 125 B Street, Marysville, CA.