Sueko Sue Tanaka (307-4-A) was born on December 30, 1917,
in Guadalupe, California. She spent most of her childhood in the Guadalupe-Santa
Maria area. Sue graduated from Santa Maria High School on June 17, 1935.
After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, her father, Umekichi Tanaka
was arrested by the FBI and incarcerated at the Department of Justice
internment camp. After the signing of Executive Order 9066 by President
Roosevelt, Sueko and her married brother, Minoru George Tanaka and
family (307-3-C), moved to Tulare County, California located in a Military 2 Zone. They were eventually evacuated
from Dinuba, California, and incarcerated at Poston, Arizona concentration camp
III. Her father was granted parole from the Department of Justice internment
camp in Bismark, North Dakota, and joined his family at Poston camp III on
September 2, 1942. While in Poston, a
marriage was arranged with Mr. Toshiyuki Tom Koga, who had evacuated from
Loomis, California. Masayuki Koga was born at Poston General Hospital in
December 1944. They left Poston, Arizona on September 17, 1945 and went to
Fresno, California.
Sue and Tom Koga raised three children in the Clovis-Fresno area where
she was active at the Fresno Betsuin, the Clovis Community Church, the Fujinkai,
and in volunteer work. Sueko Koga died on December 8, 2013, at the age of 95. She
was preceded in death by her husband, Tom; and sons, Dave and Phil.
She is survived by her sister, Yoshi Miwa; and son, Don (Kathy) Koga.
Source: Fresno Bee on
December 22, 2013
