IWAASA, Hanae

IWAASA HANAE IWAASA of Lethbridge AB passed away at Adaptacare Cedar Creek Personal Care Home on Saturday, February 14, 2026 at the age of 91.
Hanae was born on November 28th, 1934 in Raymond AB, the youngest child of nine born to Kojun (Henry) and Ito Iwaasa. She was predeceased by all her siblings except her older brother, Ray, who passed away at age 97, just six weeks after visiting his little sister in hospital.
Hanae grew up on the family farm in the Raymond Ridge area. She attended the Mammoth School until its closure in 1948 and finished at Raymond High. After starting classes in 1954, she persevered to graduate from Brigham Young University in 1964 with a BA in speech and Dramatic Arts with a minor in Teaching.
In her career as a teacher and speech therapist, Hanae first worked in Edmonton AB at the School for the Deaf and at the Residential School in Saint Albert. She spent most of her working life as a special education teacher in the Los Angeles school district from about 1969 to 1981 where she worked with inner city and special needs children. After returning to Canada to help care for her aging mother, she worked for Lethbridge District 51 for 10 years before retiring.
In retirement, Hanae served as President of the Lethbridge north side office of the Japanese Cultural Association from 1991 to 1998. Hanae was a big supporter of the Raymond Museum and she contributed to the Raymond history book published in 1993. She traveled to the West Coast regularly as a tireless advocate for her brother, Henry Nolan Iwaasa, who would succumb to cancer in 1997 and afterwards to help her brother Ray and others with the research and planning of the Coal Creek Historic Park in Cumberland BC. She was also an avid promoter of our regular family reunions that have become such a beloved tradition in the extended Iwaasa family.
In 2008, and Hanae moved into the Cottages at Green Acres and then as her physical needs increased, she transitioned to live at the Blue Sky Lodge and received care from her numerous nieces, nephews and their families. She lived at Adapted-Care for the last 8 months of her life, between hospital stays. Hanae’s extended family want to say thank you to the staff for the good care that she received throughout the years.
A Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, May 9, 2026 at 1:00pm at Salmon and Sons Funeral Home (433 Stubb Ross Rd S, Lethbridge), with the interment to follow at the Temple Hill Cemetery, Raymond Alberta.
Koden and flowers are gratefully declined.
A link for the livestream will be available on Salmon and Sons Website.To send a condolence, please visit www.salmonandsons.ca