Mary Machi Nagao

Mary Machi Nagao, age 93, passed away peacefully in Atlanta, Georgia on Tuesday, August 6, 2019. She was predeceased by her husband of 70 years (Hiroshi Nagao), sisters (Shizuko Tamura and Alice Matsumoto), and brothers (Tom and George Murakami). She is survived by her children Cindy (Roy) and Dennis (Gale). Mary will also be greatly missed by her three grandchildren, Marsha (Govind), Michael, and Matthew (Julia) and her two great-grandchildren, Priya and Phillip.

Mary was born in Loomis, CA in April of 1923 and grew up in California. As a teenager, she was interned at the Amache (Granada) camp in Colorado during WWII. She relocated to Chicago after she regained her freedom where she met and married fellow Amache internee Hiroshi Nagao in Aug 1948. While they lived in Chicago for over 50 years before relocating to Atlanta, they kept in touch with other camp residents and attended reunions for as long as their health allowed.

Mary was a gregarious soul who made friends wherever she was. She was a sparkplug whose enthusiasm for life was contagious. She loved spending time with her family, celebrating special occasions, eating Japanese food, and watching Animal Planet shows. She took great pride and satisfaction in her children’s, grandchildren’s and great grandchildren’s lives and accomplishments.

She was a loving wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother and was much loved in return. We will miss her greatly.