Tsuruko "Tsuru" Hashimoto was born on July 22, 1918 in Lemon Cove, California to Seiji and Fuji Hashimoto. She was raised in Visalia, California and graduated from high school.
Isamu "Sam" Namba was born in Parlier,
California to Kentaro and Ritsuyo Namba. He graduated from Washington Union
High School and the University of California Berkeley Dental School. Following the
bombing of Pearl Harbor, Tsuru was evacuated from Visalia,
and boarded the Santa Fe train to an unknown destination. She arrived on August 6, 1942 at the Poston, Arizona concentration camp 3. Isamu arrived to Poston camp 3 the following day on August 7, 1942. They were assigned to live at block 317-14-H. In January of 1943, Tsuru gave birth to a baby boy, William Toshio while incarcerated at Poston.
Dr. Isamu "Sam" Namba was a member of the Poston Red Cross, and was employed as a dentist at the Dental Clinic. On July 1, 1943, Dr. Namba left Poston after accepting an invitation to go to Cleveland. Tsuru and her son left Poston, Arizona on December 2, 1943 and went to join her husband and resettle in Salt Lake City, Utah where they remained after the end of World War II,
Later, the Namba family moved to Fresno where Sam opened a dental office. They had two more children, Leslee, born in 1951, and Ross, born in 1956. Dr. Namba served in the U.S. Armed Forces in Korea from
1953-1955. He was a member of the Sierra Nisei Post 8499. Tsuru was a member of the Fresno Betsuin Buddhist Women's Association and the Senior Club. Dr. Isamu Sam Namba, age 91, a Fresno dentist,
died on May 2, 2006, in Fresno.
He was preceded in death by his parents, brothers Toshio and Kazuo. Tsuru died on June 13, 2012 at the age of 93 in Fresno. She was predeceased by her husband, Dr. Isamu Sam (2006); and son, Ross Ken (1999 ).
She is survived by her son, Bill (Jo Ann) Namba; and daughter Leslee Namba; and grandchildren Michelle Namba; Kristy Namba- (Richard)Young; Joseph (Joy) Paz; and great grandchildren, Ashley Namba-Young and Athena and Atom Paz.
Source: The Fresno Bee, June 19, 2012
