In Memory Of
Terri Shizume - Charlotte, NC
Teruko ("Terri") was born in San Diego, California where she spent the early portion of her childhood. She experienced the major historical events of the early twentieth century, the Great Depression, WWII and Pearl Harbor. At the age of 13, she was taken to Manzanar, the Japanese internment camp, and is one of it's last living survivors. Terri graduated from Taft High School and earned an Associates degree in Secretarial Studies in Chicago. She worked as the Secretary of the Admin Assistant to the General Secretary of the World Council of Churches and later in their Audio Visual Dept. Though they were both born in San Diego, Terri only got to know Peter Shizume in Chicago during their college years when Moody Church opened their doors to the Japanese American Christian community to meet there for church. They were married at Lakeside Christian Church on February 28, 1953. They moved to Long Island, New York later that year when Peter got a job at Sperry Rand (Unisys) as an electrical engineer. They raised their three children in Hicksville on Long Island and lived there until 2008. The family attended the Hicksville United Methodist Church. Terri worked at St. Stephen's Lutheran and later St. Luke's Lutheran churches as church secretary. The family then moved to Charlotte, North Carolina to be closer to daughter, Ann, when Peter was having health problems. Terri was very active in the churches in her various hometowns, and she touched the lives of countless people. She had the most generous spirit, and was always willing to help others in times of need. She was dearly loved by her grandchildren, most of whom affectionately called her “Grandma Zumi.” Everywhere she went from San Diego to Chicago to New York to North Carolina. She impacted countless lives with her selflessness and her caring and compassion for others. We celebrate her life, a life so very well-lived.
Terri is survived by her three children, her son Paul and his wife Jane (Wainer), her son Timothy and his wife Bonnie (Beal), and her daughter Ann and her husband Tom (Harvey). She also leaves behind 11 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.
*All obituaries are submitted by family and friends of the deceased.
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