Atsuko Baba
Sayoko Baba passed away peacefully on December 19th, 2023 in San Francisco, California at 92 years of age. To all who were fortunate to know her, Sayoko was a veritable force of nature filled with kindness and generosity, while also possessing a whimsical smile always ready to laugh at herself before anyone else.
She was born and raised in Hiroshima, Japan and survived the atomic bomb as a teenager. As a young adult, she moved to Kobe where she became a beautician, and eventually owned her own salon in Tokyo where she trained other young women in her craft. In her mid thirties, she had a daughter, Atsuko, and emigrated to the US with her in 1972, moving to Pacific Grove, California.
In Pacific Grove, she met and married Masao Baba, a Nisei farmer, and she opened up her own business, MS Beauty Salon, where she worked for many years. She was a very active member in Seicho-no-Ie in San Jose, where she made many lifetime friends. She was immensely proud of her daughter and her accomplishments as a pediatric anesthesiologist at UCSF. After Masao passed away, she moved to Novato, California to be close to her daughter and son-in-law and their growing family. There she played a crucial role in raising her three grandchildren Joe, Katie, and Grace Brandes, who all in turn helped care for her in her later years. In her free time, she loved spending hours on end in the garden in sunny Marin county. She lived the last two years at Kokoro Assisted Living near Japantown in San Francisco, where she was a beloved community member.
We will all remember her for her playful sense of humor, her zest for life, her amazing resilience, and the selflessness that she showed all of us with her actions and deeds. She will always remain in our hearts as a shining example of how to live a good life by making a positive impact on the world through perseverance while still stopping to smell the roses.
She was born and raised in Hiroshima, Japan and survived the atomic bomb as a teenager. As a young adult, she moved to Kobe where she became a beautician, and eventually owned her own salon in Tokyo where she trained other young women in her craft. In her mid thirties, she had a daughter, Atsuko, and emigrated to the US with her in 1972, moving to Pacific Grove, California.
In Pacific Grove, she met and married Masao Baba, a Nisei farmer, and she opened up her own business, MS Beauty Salon, where she worked for many years. She was a very active member in Seicho-no-Ie in San Jose, where she made many lifetime friends. She was immensely proud of her daughter and her accomplishments as a pediatric anesthesiologist at UCSF. After Masao passed away, she moved to Novato, California to be close to her daughter and son-in-law and their growing family. There she played a crucial role in raising her three grandchildren Joe, Katie, and Grace Brandes, who all in turn helped care for her in her later years. In her free time, she loved spending hours on end in the garden in sunny Marin county. She lived the last two years at Kokoro Assisted Living near Japantown in San Francisco, where she was a beloved community member.
We will all remember her for her playful sense of humor, her zest for life, her amazing resilience, and the selflessness that she showed all of us with her actions and deeds. She will always remain in our hearts as a shining example of how to live a good life by making a positive impact on the world through perseverance while still stopping to smell the roses.
