Tadami Ted Kurumaji (Poston326-7-A) was born on August 27, 1920 in Fresno, California to immigrant Japanese farmer, Fusakichi Kurumaji from Hiroshima-ken Japan. His older brother, Hiroshi was born April 25, 1915 and raised with relatives at Saka-mura Aki-gun, Hiroshima-ken, Japan until May 1919, when he returned to the U.S. to start school, and then went back to Japan and returned when he was 15 years old, and lived with his father, who was living in Visalia, California. Ted also spent his early childhood years being raised in Japan with relatives. He returned to the U.S. when he was 15 years old.
Following the signing of Executive Order 9066, Ted and his father, Fusakichi, were living in Visalia at the time when they were evacuated by train. They arrived at the Poston, Arizona internment camp block 326-7-A on August 7, 1942. Ted married Chieko Alyce Yokoyama, on June 6, 1943 at Poston camp 3.
Chieko Alyce Yokoyama was born on March 30, 1918 to Japanese immigrants, Fudachi and Ryu Yokoyama. Alyce and her mother, Ryu, a widow, were evacuated from Cutler and arrived at the Poston, Arizona internment camp block 326-13-G on August 9, 1942.
Chieko Alyce Kurumaji gave birth to a son, Gary Tadashi, born on August 9, 1944 at the Poston General Hospital. Alice's mother, Ryu Yokoyama left Poston on August 8, 1945 and Ted's father, Fusakichi Kurumaji, left on September 5, 1945. They both resettled in Cutler. On September 9, 1945, Ted, Cheiko Alyce and baby Gary left Poston and went to Philadelphia.
Ted and Alyce raised four children in Sultana. Their oldest son, Gary, died on July 22, 1952. Ted worked as a gardener. His wife, Chieko Alyce, died on March 27, 1981. Ted retired and moved to Reedley, where he died at the age of 91 years on September 19, 2011.
He is survived by his sons, Tim (Lynn) Kurumaji , and Keith Kurumaji, of Reedley; daughter, Billie Jean (Joseph) Orochevesky of San Diego; and sister, Futako Nakamura of Japan.
Primary sources: http://thedinubasentinel.com/articles/2011/10/01/obituaries/doc4e84b9e014f4f543390124.txt
http://www.reedleyexponent.com/articles/2011/09/28/obituaries/doc4e826b02e65f5794042113.tx
