CLARA AKICHIKA

Clara Akichika died peacefully in her sleep on July 16 in Alta Loma, CA. Clara was born on November 25, 1929 in Blackfoot, ID to Teiji and Shizu Yamashita. She spent her childhood years on a family farm and cherished her memories of growing up with six older brothers. After graduating from Pocatello High School in 1947, Clara studied business at The University of Utah and later moved to Los Angeles to work in a variety of administrative jobs. During this time, Clara enjoyed traveling to visit her nephews and nieces who lived in Los Angeles, Chicago, and Portland, OR.

In 1962 Clara married Paul Akichika in Santa Monica, CA and returned to Idaho to a family farm in the community of Homedale. Clara and Paul worked closely together to raise their two children and run the family business. Clara was an active mother who enjoyed volunteering at school, checking homework, driving the kids to extracurricular activities, and along with Paul, cheering for Homedale's various sports teams. Clara worked equally hard on the farm, as a bookkeeper and master weeder. After nearly four decades on the farm, Clara and Paul retired in 2005, sold their farm and moved to Boise.

Clara learned to play the piano at a young age, enjoyed classical music and was particularly fond of the works of Chopin and Rachmaninoff. She also enjoyed playing softball, until she broke her fingers and was reprimanded by her piano teacher, and fondly remembers learning to ski on wooden skis in Sun Valley. After her children left for college, Clara enjoyed traveling to see them in St. Louis, Boston, New Hampshire, Chicago, London, San Francisco and Los Angeles.

In the last decade of her life, Clara became a doting grandmother. She enjoyed telling her grandchildren countless stories about life on the farm. The grandchildren especially enjoyed her stories about her favorite dogs Champ and Sable and about her trip to South Africa where her tour bus was chased by a giant elephant.

Clara is survived by her son Randall (Betty Chen) and their children Jean-Paul and Caitlyn of Fontana, CA; her daughter Ann (Ali Tabibian) and their children Ryan, Alexa and Sophia of San Francisco, Ca; and several nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her husband Paul Akichika and her brothers, Art, Harvey, Guy, Frank, Mel, and Ben Yamashita.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial contributions be made to the Americn Diabetes Assoication, 4380 SW MacAdam Avenue, Suite 210, Portland, OR 97239.