Obituary of Michiko Sanders

Michiko Kikuchi Sanders was the descendant of a mighty samurai clan.
From her birth in Yamagata, Japan on November 3, 1931 to her death on
Thanksgiving of this year, she was a warrior through and through. Her
extensive list of family and friends will miss her so very much.

Michiko, often called Mitzi, was the eldest of six children. As a young girl
she experienced the terrible impacts of war. She and her classmates were
forced to tear down their school fences for steel factories. She led siblings
to safety in the mountains when the bombs came. She watched the once
wealthy family finances go under, and she saw hundreds of soldiers
commit ritual suicide in front of the Emperor’s palace when the surrender
announcement came.

In 1951, she met a soldier named Duane Sanders and they were married a
year later despite the US Army putting up multiple barriers. She gave up
her Head of Family position in Japan to come to the United States in the
spring of 1954 with their first child. Four more children followed as she
traversed across the world, moving almost two dozen times.

At every location she lived, Mitzi left the yards more beautiful than when
she arrived. She spent almost every day tending to her yards. She
embraced being a founder and sometime gardener of the Peace Garden of
the Oregon City Community Center. She was also the Founder of the
Oregon City-Tatashina Sister City Program. As an unofficial interpreter for
the group, she facilitated many conversations of understanding. Her
“lunch bunch” of women involved in Sister City activities was a highlight of
her later life.

Mitzi heartily laughed at Lucille Ball, Red Skelton, Bill Cosby, and the
Golden Girls. She loved the music of Elvis Presley and Yanni . She
enjoyed live theatre, and eating out. Most recently she became an avid
viewer of The Masked Singer.

She is now reunited with her youngest daughter, Lisa, who preceded her in
death almost five years ago. Surviving children are Marie Werts, David
Sanders, Sandra Apfeld, and Robert Sanders. She also leaves behind ten
grandchildren and twelve great grandchildren. She watched with pride
over this large brood as they progressed in their education and careers,
and her home was filled with hundreds of photos and keepsakes. All
loved her dearly. Goodbye Mom / Grandma/ Obasan/ Granny Mitzi.

Donations may be given in her honor to the Pioneer Community Center in Oregon City.