Keiko Mori

Keiko Oki Mori, age 88, passed away peacefully on August 17, 2017.  She was born on February 20, 1929 in Kumamoto, Japan to Tsuzuki Oki and Yayo Saito.  From a young age, Keiko was raised with her four younger siblings in Ely, Nevada, but later settled in Salt Lake City, UT after marrying, Jiro “Jerry” Mori on June 7, 1947.  During their 66 years of marriage, Jiro and Keiko worked hard, raised a family and built community relationships and friendships.  They thoroughly enjoyed the life they made in their South Salt Lake and Murray homes as well as the bond they had with the local Japanese American community through the Japanese Church of Christ, the Mt Olympus Chapter of the Japanese American Citizen League and the Nikkei Senior Center.
Keiko and her husband loved spending time with their children and throughout their life together, were not only proud of being parents to their four biological children but also parent figures to many.    Bill Mackin (Mickie) and Eleanore Jorgensen (Ron) were lovingly thought of as mom and dad’s first kids and the “blonde side of the family.”  Mom loved that Bill and Eleanore had fond memories of her walking them to Our Lady of Lourdes school and baking chocolate chip cookies for when they got back home.  Keiko is also survived by her other four children, Stephanie Mori-Nakao(Gary); Jerry Mori (Julee); Tom Mori (Klew Lian); Theresa Sueoka (Greg);  her grandchildren:  Julie Jorgensen (Mary), Janet Jorgensen, JoAnn Arabasz (Matt), Jennifer Nakao (Landon Kawabata), Thomas Mori, Elise Mori, Kamauri Yeh, Michael Yeh, Shoji Mori, Maxwell Sueoka and Josef Sueoka;  her great-grandchildren:  Hannah Jorgensen, Ethan Arabasz, Elliot Arabasz, Carson Kawabata, Akemi Kawabata;  her sisters:  Yeiko Homma and Miyoshi Marumoto and brother, Masao Okita;  sister-in-laws; Akiko Oki and Sharon Oki;  many nieces, nephews, great nieces and great nephews.
Keiko will long be remembered for her open mindedness and core decency to family, friends, neighbors and acquaintances. She had a quiet but charming presence and her friendly smile, positive words of encouragement, strong will and determination made her an inspiration to many.  Anyone who knew Keiko, knew she was a true believer in “all things good or find some good in all!”
Keiko retired from United Airlines with 25 years of service (including her last 10 years of service commuting back and forth to United’s flight kitchen in Denver, CO).  After retiring, Keiko kept busy pursuing her passions which included traveling, baking, babysitting little loved ones, and going to the Utah Jazz games with her older sister, Yeiko Homma.  Their local celebrity status as the Utah Jazz “Pink Grandmas” gave her much joy as she devoutly followed “their” team.  Keiko took pride in having more Twitter followers @pinkgrandmas than most of her grandkids and she loved being part of something that kept her connected to the younger generation of technology users.  It was fun being “Hip Grammy Mori” to all of the Jazz friends she made over the years and she appreciated all the love and kindness they and the Jazz Organization always showed her.  She made it a point to proudly tell her children how many people stopped to take a “selfie” with her as she entered and exited the arena on game nights.  This genuinely tickled her pink!
The Mori’s would like to thank all of Keiko’s extended family, friends and acquaintances that made her feel fulfilled and fortunate over her lifetime.  Her many stories of kindness from others, reached back from her childhood days all the way to these past few months, when she was being visited by many family and friends and supported by the loving care professionals from Encompass Home Healthcare and Hospice, as well as a special thank you Dr. Matthew Hansen for your many years of care of Keiko and Jiro.
Keiko was preceded in death by her parents (Tsuzuki and Yayo), husband, (Jiro in 2013), four brothers Wataru, Iwao, Tamio and Shoichi Oki and her sister, Kazuko Oki.
Friends are welcome to join us at a Celebration of Life for Keiko on Friday, September 8, 2017 at the Cottonwood Country Club, 1780 East Lakewood Drive, Holladay, from 5-7 pm.
Service Information

Celebration of Life
September 8, 2017 at 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Cottonwood Country Club, 1780 East Lakewood Drive, Holladay, Utah, 84117