Emiko Takeuchi, My Best Friend In Life

Emiko Takeuchi, My Best Friend In Life
1929-2011

Emiko Takeuchi was born June 15, 1929, in Los Angeles, California, and died February 21, 2011, in Valdosta, GA. She lived in Gardena, California, for many years. She was the second child of Mr. Jitsuki Takeuchi and Mrs. Tsuneyo Kohno Takeuchi, born in Japan.

Her father was robbed and killed when Emi was just three or four. Her mother was a nursemaid who took care of pregnant women. Emi had two brothers. Older brother Hedeo Takeuchi was born in 1928. Younger brother Tossiuki Takeuchi was born in 1931. Her mother is buried in Yamaguchi, a town in Japan.

In 1992, I hired Emi to work as my assistant and housekeeper. At the time, I owned a large home in Torrance, California. Emi was a hard worker and an excellent friend and caregiver, taking care of my various personal and professional needs. As time went on, she became a constant platonic companion to me.

In December 1997, Emi fell in her apartment, breaking her arm. In the fall, she hurt her head, causing a permanent brain injury, leading to dementia. Seeing Emi injured distressed me, and desiring to be loyal to her, as she had always been to me, I asked my beloved friend to move in with me around February 1998. I told Emi she could live with me until either she or I died, whichever occurred first.

Emi cared for me throughout our years together, and she gave me great happiness. She was my constant companion until the end of her life. We would joke and laugh, and the depth of our friendship was considerable.

I almost always took her with me wherever I would travel. She would sit in a chair in my bedroom, and we would watch television night after night. It was an excellent relationship for both of us.

I am deeply grateful to have shared my life with a beautiful person who blessed me with her friendship, heart, and love. I often said to her, “I love you.” She would respond, “I love you twice as much as you do,” and we would both laugh.

Burton Fletcher

This article contains minor revisions and corrections.  The original obituary was posted in the Daily Breeze on April 29, 2011.