Kazuko Sakamoto

Kazuko Sakamoto, 96, of Castle Rock, Colorado, passed away on March 4, 2026. Born in Seattle, Washington, she was the youngest of five children. With remarkable resilience, endurance, and determination, she and her family lost their home and business before enduring confinement in U.S. internment camps in Idaho from 1942 to 1945. After the war, the family moved to Illinois, where Kazuko attended Shimer College and later met her husband, Wayne T. Sakamoto, who had been honorably discharged in Chicago after serving with the U.S. 442nd Regimental Combat Team.

Kazuko held various positions during her working years but particularly enjoyed her time in the medical field as a dental assistant and as an administrative assistant in the Material Management Department at Grant Hospital. In retirement, she remained active and competitive, excelling at ping-pong, pickleball, and bridge, and she cherished every game she played.

Above all, Kazuko was a dedicated and loving mother to three sons, grandmother to five grandsons, and great-grandmother to three great-granddaughters and one great-grandson. She is survived by her sons Bob and Ken of Illinois and Rick of Colorado. She will be deeply missed by her family.