Rosalia “Rosy” M. Miyaya
Rosalia “Rosy” M. Miyaya, a 38 year resident of Mercer Island, passed away at age 87 on Monday, July 2, 2012 at her home. She passed away peacefully in the presence of family. Rosalia was born in Rosalia, Washington on February 2, 1925 to Harry and Tamayo Kondo. She was the fourth of six children. The Kondo family moved to Priest River, Idaho in 1933 when Rosy was 8 years old. From that time on, Rosy made and maintained friendships that have lasted until today. Her high energy, kindness and sense of humor attracted people to her all of her life. In 1943 and 1944, Rosy attended the University of Idaho. Her college career was cut short by a need to help out at home in Priest River. Rosy had wanted to be a teacher, but was told by counselors that being of Japanese descent, her chances for employment would be very limited. She resumed her pursuit of a career by moving to Detroit, where her brother Mark was in dental school and then attended a dental assistant school in San Francisco after the war. She moved back to Detroit and met a handsome war vet, Clement K. Miyaya, who was attending Wayne State University. They married on October 27, 1951. Their first child, Mary Sue was born in Detroit a few years later. After Clem’s graduation, the family moved to Newport, Washington. Rosy was a busy homemaker and had her second daughter, Molly Kei. In 1962, the family moved to Spokane, Washington. In 1973, the family moved to Lacey, Washington for a year and then on to Mercer Island. During that time she was the office manager for her brother-in-law Dr. Yoshitaka Ogata’s orthodontic practice. Her energy and outstanding people skills were a perfect match for her work. After her retirement, she and Clem traveled and continued to maintain old friendships while adding new ones through the two morning walking groups they joined. Rosy was best known for her kind and compassionate heart. She always had a humble countenance mixed in with humor and bit of playfulness. Rosy is predeceased by Clem, and her brothers Mark (Susan), Fred and Cheney (Vi) Kondo. She is survived by Mary Miyaya (Kevin Graham) and Molly Chin (Dexter). Grandchildren are Alicia Teel (Caleb), Natalie Graham, CJ Stafford, David Graham, Katerina Graham, Keiko Stafford, and Aliya Chin. All reside in the Seattle area. She is also survived by her sisters, Molly Arima (Tom) and Mabel Ogata (Yoshitaka) and sisters-in-law Michi Kondo and Nobi Okubo. There are numerous nephews and nieces and their families. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in Rosy’s memory to the National Parkinson Foundation, Gift Processing Center, PO Box 5018, Hagerstown, MD 21741-5018. The viewing is on Wednesday, July 11 from 10:00 am until 5:00 pm and the memorial service will be on Thursday, July 12 at 10:00 am at Bonney Watson Funeral Home, 1732 Broadway, Seattle, WA 98122. Please visit bonneywatson.com to sign the guest book and leave any memorial messages.
648721
