Valentine’s Day has a special meaning for Aaron (103) and Haruye (101) Okamoto. It’s their wedding anniversary. They’ve been happily married for over 75 years. Both were born in Sacramento, Aaron in April 1916; and Haruye in June 1918. They first set eyes on each other while interned at Tule Lake Camp. “I thought he was a nice guy,” says Haruye. Aaron adds, “She was wonderful.”
After getting married, they lived briefly in Reno. The couple eventually found their way back to Sacramento. In 1948, he started at Campbell Soup and retired there at the age of 65. The Okamotos raised two boys and three girls – Calvin, Ronald, Joanne, Suzanne, and Dianne.
Looking back on her younger years, Haruye remembers growing up on a farm in rural Sacramento where her parents harvested tomatoes. “We moved a lot as the seasons changed,” she says. “Planting new crops required moving around.” Haruye had three brothers and two sisters. She attended grammar school in West Sacramento and went to high school in the Delta town of Clarksburg. “As a kid, I didn’t go to the movie theatres very often because we lived in the country, far from town.”
Aaron was an accomplished Bunka embroidery artist until the age of 95. He created beautiful artwork using the old Japanese technique called “nihon shishu,” which dates back more than 1000 years. Several framed masterpieces hang on the walls of the family home. He is donating one of them to ACC’s “Celebrating Our Centenarians” silent auction.
When talking about their long marriage, Haruye said they rarely had the time to go on family vacations. They’ve had many happy years together, enjoying time with their friends and family. Today, the extended Okamoto family also includes two grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
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