Yoshiko Ticknor

Yoshiko Ticknor passed away peacefully from this life on December 4, 2020 in Twin Falls, Idaho with her husband David, holding her hand, by her side.

Yoshiko was born on January 2, 1930 in Yokohama, Japan. She was the youngest of four daughters born to Shizue Namba Suehiro and Matsunoske Suehiro.

Yoshiko grew up in a dual faith household, her mother being a Buddhist and her father being Christian. She attended a Christian Girl's School in Yokohama, and had many friends and memories that she would often share with family and friends. She enjoyed singing in the choir and admitted that she was a masterful calligrapher with a brush and ink.

Yoshiko's father passed away when she was ten years old. She loved her father dearly and proudly recounted his adventure of leaving Japan at the age of 15, traveling by boat and peeling potatoes while following his dream to America. When the boat landed in California, he was crying and a policeman helped him. He was taken to the home of a Baptist minister, and he stayed there with the family until he graduated from a polytechnic high school. Matsunoske's dream "got bigger, as Yoshiko would say, and he attended Stanford. He left California and went north to attend the University of Washington. After graduation, he returned to Japan with a degree in Electrical Engineering and worked in a prominent position at Toshiba. Yoshiko and her family lived in a big beautiful house on the top of a hill, with housekeeping and a manicured yard all because of her father's ambition. She was equally proud of her mother and her side of the family. She hailed from Samurai lineage, Bonsai!

Yoshiko attended elementary school during World War 2. She captivated her children's attention, describing how brave her teachers were, shielding students and ushering them to safety during air raids. She witnessed the deaths of students and friends and spoke candidly about how she attended classes for half of the day, while spending the other half working in a factory to support the war effort.

Yoshiko graduated from high school and she and a friend attended a trade school to learn the skills needed to be a secretary. She acquired a job with the US Army to help support her mother, and she worked her hardest to be the best. Yoshiko would tell stories of going to work early and sharpening everyone's pencils and turning calendar pages. She worked hard enough to receive a letter of recognition from the Army, which she was very proud of.

During Yoshiko's time working for the Army, she caught the eye of a young GI, who worked with her. David L Ticknor asked her out on a date and it was true love. Dave reenlisted with the Army to spend more time with Yoshiko, and they were married at the Army base in June 1956. They had their first child, Carol on March 17, 1957 in Japan. The family would be sent back to the US, and with a sad heart filled with love for her daughter, husband and baby granddaughter, Yoshiko's mother let her go.

The budding Ticknor family returned to the United States, and Yoshiko was introduced to her husband's family in Kansas City, Missouri. They made KCMO their home, and welcomed a second child, Jeff who was born on March 1, 1958. Dave worked at a grocery store, while Yoshiko took care of the children. She learned about her new country, which she now called home, and learned how to cook American dishes for her family.

Dave decided to move west, and brought his wife and young family to Idaho in 1960. He attended ISU and graduated with BS in Accounting. Yoshiko and Dave welcomed a second son, Barry to the family, on November 28, 1960. Yoshiko embraced the US and was naturalized shortly after Barry was born. They published a picture of Yoshiko and baby Barry, draped in an American flag in the Idaho State Journal.

Dave became the Business Manager at ISU and they had their final child, a daughter Becky on December 30, 1970. Most of the children were older when Yoshiko immersed herself into being an active member of the community. Yoshiko and Dave were both members of the Central Christian Church, each serving various roles for the congregation. Yoshiko joined the Christian Women's Fellowship and met weekly with a group of talented ladies, making quilt squares and other crafts that would be sold at the Church's Harvest Festival and Christmas events.

Yoshiko enjoyed being a member of the ISU Faculty Women's Club. They were active in crafting items that were sold at the Craft Fair during "I Love ISU" week at the Student Union. She volunteered her time, peddling "goodies", as she would say, to hungry attendees, while raising money for scholarships that were granted to students at ISU. She always made time to take a break and eat a bite with Dave and Becky, who would visit her while she was working.

Yoshiko also volunteered at Bannock Memorial Hospital, as a Pink Lady. She was named volunteer of the year, before "retiring" in 1987, after serving 100's of hours, delivering flowers, and helping visitors at the hospital. With the award, she was granted a weekend stay at Island Park. She brought her family with her and fell in love with the area. Dave and Yoshiko eventually purchased a cabin of their own, and thoroughly enjoyed their "little slice of heaven" during the summer months.

Yoshiko was also a member of the JACL (Japanese American Citizens League). She took her family to a variety of events sponsored by the JACL, to expose her children to her culture and customs. While she was an "American", she graciously shared her culture with family, friends, and students of her children's classes, through food and stories. New Year's Day was a favorite time for her daughter Becky, who loved her ozoni soup and the symbolism it represented for the year to come.

In addition to the JACL, Yoshiko was also asked to be the interpreter and played an integral role in establishing the Sister City Program, with Iwamizawa, Japan. She and Dave traveled to Japan with the other delegates, and through the pictures that they brought back, it looked as if they had a wonderful time.

Yoshiko enjoyed many things in life, including gardening. She loved flowers and cared for her tea roses until it became too hard for her to bend down to pick the weeds. There would always be a fresh rose on the table during the summer months. She enjoyed sports, both watching them on T.V. and playing them. Yoshiko was good at everything she attempted,
impressively granny-shooting hoops in the backyard, upon a challenge. She was musical and loved to sing and play hymns on the piano.

She loved crafting, and was an expert seamstress, even sewing her daughter Carol's wedding dress, knitter, tole painter, needle pointer, and crocheter. She handmade gifts for family and friends, and decorated her home with her many creations. She passed on her knowledge and a fair amount of talent to her daughters.

Yoshiko is survived by her loving husband David, her children: Carol Hull (Jeff), Inkom; Jeff Ticknor (Jana), Lava; and Becky Ticknor (Tyler Weaver), Pocatello; 11 grandchildren and 10 great grandchildren.
She is preceded in death by her son Barry, her parents, and sisters, Ineko and Matsue Suehiro and Shizuko Nishikawa.

The family would like to thank their Central Christian Church family, for all of their prayer and fellowship. Also, all of Yoshiko and Dave's fantastic neighbors, co-workers, and friends for well wishes and all of the memories that were made over the years. Yoshiko will be dearly missed by many!

A celebration of life will be held in her honor at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 17, 2021 at Central Christian Church, 918 E Center Street Pocatello, Idaho 83201, with a viewing prior to the service from 1:00-1:45 p.m. An evening viewing will be held from 6:00-8:00 p.m. on Friday, April 16, 2021 at Wilks Funeral Home, 211 W Chubbuck Road Chubbuck, Idaho 83202.

Memories and condolences may be shared with the family under the "Tribute Wall" tab above.