A jidai has ended. Sister Joyce Tone Nagasawa Teruya, the first Sendai "mission mother," passed away on Monday, March 13, 2006 in her home in Wailuku, Maui, Hawaii at age 84. We will miss her dearly, but are comforted by knowing she joins her husband, our beloved pioneering president of the Japan Sendai Mission, Walter S Teruya, who passed away just 15 months prior at age 89.

Joyce suffered a mild stroke in November 2005. She was in a care center for several months, but had improved enough to return to her home in February. She suffered another stroke and slipped into a coma about one week prior to her passing.

(Picture above was taken on Joyce's 84th birthday, just a few weeks prior to her passing.)

(Note from Webmaster Todd Ogaard: I sent a Hawaiian floral arrangement to the viewing with a card signed "with love and admiration from all of your Sendai missionaries," and received a nice email that evening from Joyce's eldest daughter, Mildred Stevenson:) [The lovely flowers sent by the Sendai missionaries were at the mortuary this afternoon for the viewing. Joyce appreciated the phone calls, letters and cards that she received from her Sendai missionaries after Walter's death in 2004. She loved and treasured all of you. I can truthfully say that she looked at peace today. I had the special experience of assisting with dressing her. She was beautiful in her robes. Many of the people who came to the mortuary for the viewing sat in the chapel and chatted and visited. There were some tears, of course, but in general the mood was happy. We know that Joyce lived a long, full life, and at the end she was ready and eager to join her eternal companion. We will miss her.] Mildred shared photographs from the graveside service held the next day. (scroll down to view them)

Walter and Joyce Teruya, as our mission "parents," touched the lives of a total of about 350 missionaries from the period of July 1, 1974 (the day the mission was established) until their release three years later. Being from Hawaii, getting used to the cold, snowy Michinoku winters was especially a challenge for Sister Teruya. The Teruyas gave us loving, trusting, wise, and gentle leadership and inspired us both as missionaries and in our lives after our missions. We were so fortunate to serve under their direction.

Things I remember about Sister Teruya (besides her not liking the cold) include: her fantastic cooking (we were treated to fabulous meals our first night in Sendai and also our last), knowing English hymns by heart (and not wanting the hymnal held up for her), and surprising everyone one day in the Sendai Shibu (now called the Kamisugi building) by showing off her ping pong (takkyuu) expertise. At home in Hawaii she loved to play tennis.

After their 1974-77 Sendai Mission, the Teruyas served two separate Tokyo Temple missions, one as first counselor (83-84) and the other as president (92-94). They were honored by the Church in 1998 as "pioneers" for all their service, and were recognized as being the first couple of Japanese ancestry married in the Hawaiian Temple. They have three children, three grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren. Their grandson served a mission in the Tokyo North Mission, and undoubtedly met many of those whose lives they've touched over the years.

Webmaster note: I was lucky to have visited Joyce three times since Walter's passing; two of those visits were precious: 1) showing her the video I brought of our 30-year missionary reunion where their missionaries that attended recorded short messages to the Teruyas (we laughed and cried), 2) almost exactly one year to the day prior to her passing, accompanying Fumiko Takahashi from Japan to visit Joyce. Fumiko was the sole "office and kitchen staff" in the mission home for the three years they served.

Thanks to Mildred Stevenson, the eldest daughter of Walter and Joyce, for sharing these photographs of the memorial held March 17, 2006 at Maui Memorial Park in Wailuku.

Sendai RM Dwayne Wada, who was asked by the family to give the dedicatory prayer

Joyce's two eldest grandsons in front as pallbearers

Mildred reports the beautiful red flowers were part of the arrangement sent by Sendai Missionaries

Daughters Lovinia "Teri" and Mildred

Walter and Joyce's three grandsons (from left) Matthew Stevenson, Ian Teruya, and Andrew Stevenson

Joyce's brother Gilbert and his wife Hisako. Grandson Ian Teruya. Daughter Lovinia and Son Marvin