A service of committal for the late Mrs. Masaye Kato, a 90-year-old, Stockton, California-born resident of Los Angeles who served her country during World War II in the Womens Air Corp, will be held privately. Mrs. Kato is survived by her daughters
Annette(Bruce) Kato Takashima, Charlotte "Charli" (Gene) Kato Kimura; grand-daughter, Jennifer Kimiko Kimura; gramdsons, Robert Mitsuo "Bobby" Kimura, Craig Takashima and Dean Takashima.

Masaye "Nikkie" Nishikida was born in Stockton, on January 13, 1922.

Her father was Jisaburo Nishikida from Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan. Jidaburo left Japan and worked on a pineapple farm in Hawaii until he was allowed to immigrate to the United States in 1905.

Her mother was Misao Fujiyama from Yanai City, Japan. She was a "Picture Bride" and immigrated to the United States in 1918. She arrived in San Francisco on the Persia Maru.



Masaye's parents married and lived in San Joaquin County, where her father earned a living as a truck farmer.

They had 5 children who were all born in Stockton, California.

She had an older brother, Takeo Joseph "Joe" Nishikida, (April 9, 1920-August 17, 2001). She had a younger sister, Toki Wada (February 16, 1924-December 19, 2007). She had a younger brother, Matsuo "Mac" Nishikida (September 16,1926 - Nov. 23, 2009 ) A baby girl, Tatsumi Nishikida died during childbirth on April 3, 1928. Her father passed away when the children were very young.


After Jisaburo died around 1929, Misao Fujiyama moved to San Francisco. She was able to obtain a job at the San Francisco Salvation Army Orphanage.

Joe and Masaye were placed in the SF Salvation Army Orphanage.

The preschool age siblings, Toki and Mac were allowed to live in the SF Salvation Army employee apartment because their mother worked in the orphanage kitchen, when Toki and Mac grew older they were enrolled in the San Francisco Salvation Orphanage and School.



When War World II broke out, Masaye read a newspaper ad about a laundry for sale in Nevada. Masaye and her mother bought the laundry and the family moved to Gardnerville, Nevada. The family avoided being interned in a Japanese Relocation Camp because they had moved to Douglas County in Nevada.

Masaye, Joe and Mac all joined the Army in Douglas County and did their basic training in Topaz, Utah. Her sister, Toki stayed in Gardnerville to help their mom run the laundry.

On June 26, 1944, Masaye enlisted in the Women's Army Corp. She was a private and worked in the nursing department, until the end of the war.



Masaye met Mitsuo Robert Kato while working in the army hospital. Mitsuo was an Army supply sargeant stationed in Germany when a bomb blew up the train. He met Masaye while he was in the hospital in the United States, recovering from injuries he received when his train was bombed.



Mitsuo Robert Kato and Masaye Nishikida were married in Gardnerville, Nevada on Memorial Day in 1949. They moved to Boyle Heights,California. Mitsuo worked as a mechanical engineer for Union Maid Bakery. In 1950, they bought and lived in a triplex in Pasadena, California.

Annette Kato was born on Feb. 24, 1950. Charlotte Kato was born Dec. 9, 1951. In 1954, they bought a house and moved to Silver Lake, California. A few years later, they bought apartment rentals in Wilshire area.

When her children were in high school, Masaye went to work at Bullocks Wilshire where she worked for 25 years.

Her beloved husband died August 1, 1972.