Obituary of Chisato Nishi

Chisato “Joanne” Nishi died on March 13, 2016. Joanne was born in Los Angeles on July 21, 1920. She has been a resident of the Monterey Peninsula since 1934. She was one of eight students attending Carmelo School in Carmel Valley and went on to graduate from Monterey High School in 1938. She married Henry T. Nishi in 1942 and both were interned at Poston Relocation Center during World War II. In 1949 Joanne and Henry started the Nishi Nursery in New Monterey and then moved the business to Carmel in 1953 until 1986. Joanne was a member of the CHOMP Auxiliary from 1971 to 2001. She had a teacher’s credential from the Ohara School of Ikebana (Japanese flower arranging) and taught ikebana at the Monterey Peninsula Buddhist Temple. She was a founding member of the Monterey Bay Chapter of Ikebana International which began in 1989. She served as the chairperson for the Hospice Ikebana Project at the Westland House to further the commitment since its opening in November 1993 to place flower arrangements which are changed weekly in the tokonoma of the entry way. Joanne is survived by her son, Kenneth (Yoko); daughter, Joyce (Ken) Esaki; grandsons, Gen (Sharlina) Esaki and Kai Esaki; sisters, Jeanne Motokane of Westminster and Nancy Bowman of Santa Cruz. She was preceded in death by her husband, Henry, in 1994; and sisters, Mollie Sumida, Ichiko Tsubouchi, Yoneko Yamashiro, and Ruby Hori; and her brother, Tatsuo J. Tsubouchi. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, March 19, 2016, at 2 p.m. at the Monterey Peninsula Buddhist Temple in Seaside. Joanne would be most pleased for a donation to either Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula Auxiliary, c/o Community Hospital Foundation, P. O. HH, Monterey 93942 or the SPCA for Monterey County, P. O. Box 3058, Monterey 93942. Service Information