Fumi Ann Shigetoshi

Obituary
Fumi Ann Shigetoshi was born on October 20, 1944 in Newell, CA and
passed away peacefully on September 21, 2022 at 77. She is survived by
her three children Gregory (Jamie), Derrick (Jamie), and Elizabeth, her
grandson Drake, and several nephews, nieces, and cousins. Fumi was
preceded in death by her husband Rev. Eishun Shigetoshi, her parents
Walter and Jean Imai, and her sisters Maimie Mizukami, Kimiko Diaz,
and Mary Imai.
During World War II, Fumi and her family were forcibly imprisoned at
the Tule Lake concentration camp. After the war, Fumi and her family
relocated to Los Angeles, where she attended school in Boyle Heights
and worked many sales jobs in Little Tokyo. In 1972, Fumi moved to
Sacramento to be with her husband and served as an active member of
Northern California Koyasan Temple. From 1975-2003, Fumi was a
serial business owner and established her own series of successful, local
Japanese restaurants: Fumy’s on Broadway, Fumy’s Sukiyaki on
Fruitridge Rd, Fumy’s Teriyaki on J St and 9th St, and Fumy’s Teriyaki
Bowl on Freeport Blvd. With her husband as head chef and co-owner,
she could be found greeting customers at the cash register, managing
inventory, and bookkeeping in her office. After retiring her businesses,
she restlessly took on many roles as a community volunteer, babysitter,
caregiver, and homemaker.
Fumi’s family will miss her protective motherly instincts and
smothering love: like how she left several voicemails until her daughter
got home safely, how she forced everyone to take home a full takeout
box of food, and if she discovered someone liked a certain food item,
she’d repeatedly cook and personally deliver that item in bulk, until
that person finally got tired of it. She was a selfless, hospitable woman
who always put others before herself and expected nothing in return.
Fumi left a lasting impression over the decades with her meticulous
skincare routine, her iconic voluminous short black curly hair, and her
mastery speed walk in 3 inch platform sandals. She had an affectionate
smile, positive attitude, and often wisely advised “Go with the flow”,
“Take it as it comes”, “In one ear, out the other.”
She loved spending time with her family, shopping, sampling new food,
and watching the local news, The Food Network, Law & Order: SVU,
and Judge Judy.