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Meeting his wife, Eileen

Well, since you’re asking me. You’re asking me, I’m won't leave nothing out. Yes, I was dating girls, but it always came down to, one after another, the girls said, “Are we going to live with your mother?” Because I lived with my mother. I lived with my mother for over ten years, just the two of us.

And I knew my mother was concerned because I was getting up in years. She didn’t say, “Are you going to get married or not?” But little hints in there, you can pick it up. But I was dating. But it always came down to, repeatedly. I said, “Uh oh, here it comes again.” Asking what we’re going to do. And they didn’t have to say no, but I can just sense it, that that’s not an issue, but it’s something that she is hesitant to make any kind of reply or even say, even a commitment, see.

But my wife, Eileen, she knew more about me that I know about myself, by our match maker. Because she had been listening to them, because the match maker was seeing me about once a week because she was one of our clients. Our customers, see. She was always kidding me around. It came to be, I said, “Well, this is enough of this, joking around, kidding.” I said, “Do you have her telephone number?” She said, “Yes.” I said, “Give me the telephone number, I’ll call her up like I just met her.” That’s my story. 


marriages mothers wives

Date: February 6, 2015

Location: California, US

Interviewer: John Esaki

Contributed by: Watase Media Arts Center, Japanese American National Museum

Interviewee Bio

Jimmy Ko Fukuhara was born on September 21, 1921 in Los Angeles, California to Japanese immigrants, Ume and Ichisuke Fukuhara. In 1927, his father moved the family to Santa Monica, California, and got started in the nursery business. After graduating from Santa Monica High School, Jimmy worked at the nursery, until 1942, when he and his family were sent to the Manzanar concentration camp.

Jimmy was able to leave camp early, and moved to Pennsylvania with his younger brother, George. Within sixty days, Jimmy was drafted into the army, and volunteered to serve in the Military Intelligence school. After going through basic training, Jimmy was sent to Tokyo, Japan. There he worked for the labor department in General MacArthur’s headquarters. Before leaving Japan, he visited Hiroshima in hopes of connecting with his parents’ relatives. After being discharged, Jimmy returned to Santa Monica and the family nursery business. Jimmy continued to work in the nursery with his four brothers, until he retired in 1986. (May 2016)

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