Irene Yoshiko Tsutsumi (Poston 317-12-B) was born on August 22, 1920 to Japanese immigrants, Sakuichi and Umematsu (Yokote) Tsutsumi on the family’s farm in Pismo Beach, California.
After the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the signing of Executive Order 9066 in February 1942, Irene, her widowed mother, Ume, and Irene's brothers, Frank, Roy, and Raymond voluntarily relocated to Reedley, in central California to avoid being evacuated in the spring of 1942. Unfortunately, they were later forced to evacuate with the residents of Reedley and were transported by train to their wartime living quarters in the Arizona desert, and arrived at the Poston internment camp, block 317-12-B on August 6, 1942, when the temperature was over 120 degrees. At Poston, Roy Tsutsumi played "A" league baseball on the block 317 team, and graduated from Poston III High School with the class of 1944. Frank temporarily left camp to visit Colorado Springs, Indiana. Irene located outside employment in Washington DC, and left Poston on March 28, 1944. Her brothers, Frank and Roy, both located employment in Chicago, and left Poston on October 20, 1944. Her mother and youngest brother, Raymond who was in elementary school, finally departed from Poston on September 28, 1945 and went to San Jose.
Irene met and later married Lt. Col. Barry M. Saiki (MIS) and she moved to Baltimore, Maryland and later to Japan when he was stationed there. In 1959, they settled in San Francisco. She worked as an administrative assistant at University of California San Francisco Langley Porter Psychiatric Institute for over 25 years. She was a donor to the Chinese Historical Society of America, Kimochi, and the William J. Clinton Foundation.
Irene Yoshiko Saiki 91, died on October 18, 2011 in San Francisco. She was preceded in death by ex-husband, Barry M. Saiki (2006); and brothers, Roy Yasuo (1992) and Frank Akira (2006).
She is survived by daughter Shizue Seigel; and brother, Raymond Tsutsumi.
Source: http://www.nichibei.org/2011/11/obituary-irene-yoshiko-tsutumi-saiki/
