February 11, 1941 - November 20, 2019
On Wednesday, November 20, 2019 our loving mother Tsuru Shibata passed away at the age of 78. Tsuru was born in Hikone, Japan on February 11, 1941. She lived in Japan until she graduated and moved to Canada in 1960. She married our father Kenji Shibata in Vernon on April 08, 1961. In 1966 they moved to Prince Rupert so dad could work at the pulp mill. Prince Rupert became their home until 1997 when they moved to Burnaby to retire and babysit their grandchildren.
Tsuru was a homemaker until she started working at the fish plant in 1975. She loved to sew and knit and would make wonderful creations for us. When she retired she played gate ball every Thursday and entered in many local and international tournaments.
This year mom was diagnosed with Progressive Supranuclear Palsy, which is a rare form of dementia that progresses aggressively.
Tsuru is predeceased in death by her loving husband Kenji. She is survived by her sister Yoshie in Japan, her four children Linda (Bruce), Cathy (Melvin), Andy, and Tom, her four grandchildren Rachael (Jesse), Suefay (Jae), Jun Jay, Jun Shong, and her two great-grandchildren Kenji and Kairi.
A celebration of life was held on November 29, 2019 at New Sakura-So in Burnaby and she was laid to rest with our dad at Forest Lawn Memorial Park.
Mom, you will be dearly missed and we love you with all our hearts.
Love Linda, Cathy, Andy, Tom, and family