IWAASA, Miiko

    Miiko Iwaasa passed away peacefully on March 2, 2023 at the age of 94 years old.

    Miiko was born on April 22, 1928 to Kinsaburo and Katsuko Kosasa. Her father passed away the following year and her mother remarried to Noriyasu Ashiwa who was the administrator of a prestigious private high school in Sapporo, Japan.  Miiko eventually worked for her stepfather as a secretary of his school.  She was predeceased by her mother in 1976; her son Michael in 1993; her stepfather in 1999; her husband in 2001; her daughter, Susan in 2017; and her youngest son, Perry in 2021.

    She met the love of her life, Jeaune, in 1949 in Sapporo, Japan.  Jeaune was a young LDS missionary who converted her and baptized her.  They were married on St Patrick’s Day in 1951 in Tokyo and temporarily settled on the Iwaasa family farm in Raymond, Alberta.  In 1952, they moved to Winfield, Alberta and returned to Lethbridge in 1954 where they raised 7 children: Rod, Michael, Spencer, Milton, Susan, Tony, and Perry.

    In 1993, Miiko and Jeaune served a LDS mission in Nagoya, Japan. After their mission, they moved to Coaldale.  In 2000, they celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on a Panama Cruise. In 2001, Jeaune passed away and then Miiko moved to Lethbridge to live with her son, Milton and his wife, Kathryn. Miiko remained with them until she fell and broke her hip in 2019 and then moved into the Good Sams Dementia Unit until her passing.

    She surrounded herself with family and enjoyed countless get-togethers.  She was especially proud of her grandson, Coby, for his academic success and athletic achievements.  For many years, she was identified as the racquetball grandma as she would regularly sit up front and center cheering him on to win.

    She enjoyed travelling to Hawaii, camping at Lake MacDonald, socializing with her Japanese Satsuki group, and travelling in their motorhome to Alaska and Arizona. She was a loving mother, grandmother, and great grandmother and will always be missed.  In her life, she gave so much and asked for so little. She leaves behind a legacy of 20 grandchildren and 31 great grandchildren.

    Special thanks to the Good Samaritans Cottage 1 staff:  Tereasa, Sylvia, Estrella and Kim who attended to her needs and care during these final years of life.

    A Memorial Service will be held on Friday, March 17, 2023 at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints NORTHSIDE CHAPEL, 2213 6a Ave N, Lethbridge at 11:00 am.  There will be a short program and refreshments to celebrate her wonderful life and the memories we will cherish forever.