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, both 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 for me as my personal assistant and housekeeper. At the time, I owned a large home in Torrance, California. Emi was a hard worker, and a very good 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 that caused 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 friend to move in with me around February 1998. I told Emi she could live with me until either she died, or I died, whichever occurred first.
Throughout our years together, Emi cared for me, 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 a wonderful relationship for both of us.
I am deeply grateful to have shared my life with a wonderful person who blessed me with her friendship, her heart, and her 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 corrections. The original obituary was posted in the Daily Breeze on April 29, 2011.