Masuko Hachiya Oyama attended Linfield College and graduated from the University of Oregon

Masuko Hachiya Oyama
1927 - 2023

MASUKO OYAMA OBITUARY
(See photo)

Published by The Oregonian from Mar. 21 to Mar. 26, 2023.

Masuko Hachiya Oyama
Feb. 21, 1927 - Feb. 24, 2023

Masuko Hachiya Oyama was born Feb. 21, 1927, in Portland, Ore. She passed peacefully Feb. 24, 2023 at age 96, in Tualatin, Ore.

Masuko spent her childhood in the Portland area, attending Shattuck Elementary and briefly Lincoln High School.

In 1942, Masuko was sent to the Minidoka Internment Camp in Idaho and later relocated to Salt Lake City where she graduated from East High School in 1945.

Masuko attended Linfield College and transferred to University of Oregon where she graduated with a General Social Science degree in 1949.

In June of 1951, she married Albert Akira Oyama and settled in Portland, Ore., and in 1963, moved to Lake Oswego, Ore.

Masuko and Albert had three sons, Pat (1953), Stan (1955) and Kevin (1963).

Masuko had a passion for Ikebana flower arranging, calligraphy, and most of all tennis which she played well into her 80's.

She is survived by sons, Stan (Cathy) and Kevin (Karen); five grandchildren; and one great-granddaughter. She was preceded in death by husband, Albert; son, Patrick; her brothers, Ted (Sumi) Hachiya, Hiram (Helen) Hachiya; and her sister, Yoshiko (Tom) Inomoto.

No funeral or memorial service will be held; remembrances to celebrate Masuko's life may be directed to the Ikoi No Kai Bento program -1333 S.E. 28th Ave., Portland, OR 97214

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Masuko Oyama Interview Segment 1 

(Note: There are a total of 12 segments)

/ Densho Digital Repository

https://ddr.densho.org/interviews/ddr-one-7-51-1/

Densho Digital Archive

Densho Visual History Collection

Title: Masuko Oyama Interview

Narrator: Masuko Oyama

Interviewer: Janet Kakishita

Location: Lake Oswego, Oregon

Date: November 10, 2013

Densho ID: denshovh-omasuko-01-0011

<Begin Segment 11>

JK: After the war, were you still in Salt Lake or did you go back and join your mom?

MO: No, I came home directly from Salt Lake.

JK: So you were like a, you had just finished your senior year?

MO: Uh-huh.

JK: And how did you get back to Portland from Salt Lake?

MO: Bus. I think a bus ride. It was all bus.

JK: And when you came back, what was your first impression of --

MO: The hotel was available for me. My brother had made it so that I would, to expect me, so the family portion of that hotel that was left for us is available. Then my sister joined me shortly after that, but my mother was left behind for some reason, I don't know.

JK: Okay, so it took your mom longer to get back.

MO: Uh-huh, yes.

JK: And when you came back to Portland, how did you reestablish yourself? What decisions did you make about the next step in your life?

MO: Well, I wanted to continue going to school, so I chose... I chose one school and I think my brother chose not to go to that school. So I don't know how I ended up at Linfield College. That was not my first choice, but it was his choice. So I went there anyway for two years. I liked it, but I decided it was too expensive, and he did, too.

JK: Okay. What were you planning on majoring in in college?

MO: That's a good question. I don't know. I didn't want to be a teacher, I know. It was just a general, just to say I graduated, I guess.

JK: Okay, so after two years of Linfield, then what did you do?

MO: I went to University of Oregon. Went to a cheaper school. [Laughs]

JK: And did you have any major there that you focused on?

MO: No, it was general.

JK: And when you finished college, what did you decide to do next?

MO: I got married.

JK: Okay, to Uncle Albert, of course. And then you started a family.

MO: Uh-huh.

JK: And he was going to medical school, right?

MO: Uh-huh.

JK: Okay, and did children come shortly after?

MO: Not too sure. I don't think we could have afforded it.

JK: Okay, and you had three boys. And how was it different, how do you think their life was different than your life? What things did you want them to have that you didn't have?

MO: You know, I can't say I didn't have anything that I didn't want. I thought that was, I think being evacuated and being shipped to the other places was a good investment for us.

JK: In what way? How did that make you...

MO: There are other people besides Portland people that's living, and the people are different in different areas. I thought the people in Salt Lake were so friendly, so hospitable, and I just love it. It just turned me into a soft person.

JK: Okay, so it helped change you and made you into a better person, and so you wanted to pass this on to your boys, the opportunity to see and meet other people, other points of view. And is there anything else that you would have as your legacy for your boys or grandchildren on your life experiences?

MO: Uh-uh, I don't think so.

JK: Okay.

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Masuko Hachiya as a Linfield College student in 1947 Linfield Oak Leaves yearbook