Hiroko Harland

Hiroko Kanamori was born into a life of modest privilege in Kobe, Japan on May 24, 1930 to Nobutoro Kanamori, a purser for a passenger liner and Mitsue Nishio Kanamori, a traditional Japanese homemaker. Hiroko was a top student, skilled in athletics, brimming with self-confidence and a competitive spirit. While she could perform many of the traditional skills and duties her mother taught her, she more often played with the boys in her neighborhood, enacting the samurai stories she ardently read and the movies she saw, often playing the role of the hero and leading her companions to imagined victories. A devoted reader her entire life, she read many Western literary authors— Alexander Dumas, Guy du Maupassant and Mark Twain being among her favorites. Though her “tom-boyishness” was often at odds with the serenity of her mother, Hiroko enjoyed a close and loving relationship with her that endured over time and the distance that would later separate them. During World War II, Hiroko’s family struggled. But despite losing everything, they survived and her brother Uesuke was born as the war ended. In the war’s wake, Hiroko finished her education and joined the job market. In 1949, Hiroko met Chester Harland, an American soldier who was part of the occupation forces in Japan. Their first date was to church, chaperoned by her friends for propriety. Even as their relationship grew, they knew there was little prospect of them marrying as marriage to Japanese nationals was prohibited. However, they continued to see each other and Chester learned to speak Japanese while helping her to improve her English. When war broke out in Korea, Chester was reassigned there. They maintained contact, writing each other daily and their relationship continued to grow. It was at this time that the marriage restrictions were lifted and Chester’s letters began to include marriage proposals, though Hiroko never addressed them in her letters to him. When Hiroko finally said she would marry him, Chester began the difficult bureaucratic process of marrying a foreign national. The process took multiple attempts and nearly a year but days away from being sent back to the US, Chester finally got Hiroko her passport and visa. They were married on December 13, 1951 in a quiet ceremony attended by a few close friends and immigrated to the US shortly after. They moved in with Chester’s mother and sisters in Oklahoma City and Hiroko began to adapt to the life of an American military wife. And the family began to grow. While stationed with her husband in Washington DC, Hiroko gave birth to a daughter, Gwen, whom she nicknamed Yuri (“lily”). Their second child, Chester III, nicknamed Jun (“pure”) was born in Oklahoma City where Hiroko was once again living while Chester was stationed overseas. She devoted her full attention to her family, perfecting her English so she would not be an embarrassment to her family. She did not work outside the home, becoming proficient at homemaking skills she had never had to do as a child until well into her teens. In 1956, Chester was assigned to Hawaii where they spent 2 wonderful years. The constant movement was a standard part of military life and would make the family very close-knit. They learned to rely upon each other as they sought to adapt to a new location every two to three years. Their third child, William Vernon, nicknamed Ken (“smart”), was born in Washington DC where Chester had once again been reassigned. Hiroko quickly had Jackie, nicknamed Yume (“dream”) because she wanted Ken to have a sibling to grow up with. She imparted her values to all of her children—values born both in her homeland and in America—with emphasis on virtue, honor, tradition and above all, family. In 1962 Hiroko became a US citizen, renouncing her ties to a homeland she had not seen for 12 years, fully embracing her life in America. In 1966, after a tour in Vietnam, Chester was stationed to the island of Okinawa which was only a short flight from Japan. Hiroko was thrilled at the prospect of being so close to Japan, making it possible to see her family once again and to show her children the things she had only been able to describe to them. And her children finally heard her speak her native language. The 7 years the family lived there allowed Hiroko to introduce her mother to the grandchildren she had never met and to reconnect with her younger brother who had been 6 years old when she last saw him. In 1973, Chester retired from the military and the family relocated for the last time, to Denver, Colorado, a place they had never been. With her children reaching adulthood, Hiroko began to focus on personal interests. She enjoyed reading and perfected her cooking skills. Accomplished in the creation of Japanese dolls and their elaborate kimonos, she also became an expert seamstress who designed and sewed her daughters’ wedding dresses. She was also able to hone her skill at flower arrangement, ultimately showing not only an aptitude but also an artist’s sensitivity in all of her interests and avocations. As years passed, grandchildren were born and Hiroko insisted on caring for each of them, taking full advantage of this time to pass on her values to a new generation. In return, her grandchildren loved and respected her unreservedly. Hiroko departed this life on Tuesday, April 3, 2018 at home. Left to cherish her memory is her husband Chester, her four children—Gwen (Moses) Brewer, Chester (Georgia) Harland III, William (Joy) Harland and Jackie (Steve) Coffey, her six grandchildren—Marques Brewer, Maya (Jason) Balakier, Tessa Harland, Michael Harland, Andrea Coffey and Lauren Coffey and her great grandson, Jayden Coffey, each of whom shared precious time with her in her waning years.

Funeral Home: Pipkin Braswell - 843 West 100th Place Northglenn, Colorado
Service: 4/10/2018 - Pipkin Braswell - 843 West 100th Place Northglenn, Colorado