The Watanabe family members: Tamenoshin, Fumiko, Ben, James, Ruth, Paul,
and Nancy, were forcibly evacuated from Anaheim and incarcerated in the Poston,
Arizona concentration camp 1 on May 15, 1942.Paul attended Poston 1 High School.
Setsuko Watanabe voluntarily evacuated from Joplin, Missouri and arrived at the Poston, Arizona concentration camp on
April 16, 1943. Baby Gary was born at
Poston a month later. Setsuko and Gary left
Poston on July 27, 1943 and went to Camp Crowder, Missouri.
Ben received an invitation in Chicago and left Poston, Arizona on November
9, 1943. James also received an invitation in Chicago, and Ruth left with him
on June 27, 1944. The remaining Watanabe
family members, Tamenoshin, Fumiko, Paul, and Nancy departed from Poston, Arizona on January 23,
1945 and went to resettle in Chicago. Paul
was inducted in the military in February of 1946.
Paul Nobuo Watanabe, resident of Chicago for over 65 years, died on August 20,
2011 in Chicago at the age of 83 years.
He is survived by his wife of 54 years, Kayo "Mae" (Hikido)
Watanabe; daughters Dale (Dan) Kirchberg, and Joni (Rod) Starmer; grandchildren,
Alex, Livia and Caitlyn Kirchberg, and Jackson Starmer; and brother, Jim
Watanabe; and sisters, Ruth Shingu, and Nancy Nagai.
Sources: Los Angeles Times from
September 6 - September 11, 2011, Chicago Sun-Times on September 1, 2011
