1928
Yasuko
2020
Yasuko M. Leahy
November 1, 1928 — September 29, 2020
Yasuko Miyajima, also known as Miya, was born in Tokyo in 1928. Yasuko studied fashion design in Japan and later in Chicago. She was always stylish, curious, and did not fit the norms of what was expected of Japanese women at the time. She had an independent, adventurous spirit, starting several business ventures including restaurants in Japan and the US, and a boutique clothing store; she was one of the first women drivers in Japan; and traveled alone to many countries in Asia and later to Europe and Mexico. She emigrated to the U.S. in the late 1960s and gave birth to her daughter Marie. In 1971 she married Thomas J. Leahy, a brother of legendary Notre Dame Football Coach Frank Leahy.
In 1990, Yasuko left Chicago and moved to Plainfield, Vermont, where she continued to make wearable art, and fully embraced rural life to learn rug hooking, gardening, a bit of carpentry, take up skiing (again), and put her design sensibility to good use to make improvements to the house and the surrounding landscape. She became part of Vermont's network of hook-rug enthusiasts and frequently displayed her eccentric original creations of this traditional craft. Yasuko was a city person who found community and connection in the country.
The family is grateful to the dedicated staff at Fillmore Pond. They doted on Yasuko with love, attention, and grace in the last years of her life and encouraged her sense of humor to shine.
She is survived by her daughter, Marie Leahy (John Broderick), grandchildren Ellis Broderick and Torin Broderick; sisters Kayoko Takahashi (Masaaki) in Chicago and Tomiko Matsui of Japan; niece Lisa Natanek; nephews Kentaro Takahashi, and Kazuo and Isao Matsui, and extended family in Tokyo. She is predeceased by her husband Thomas Leahy.
There will be no service at this time; a ceremony celebrating Yasuko's life will be held in the fall of 2021.
Guestbook condolences may be made at www.maharandsonfuneralhome.net
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Yasuko M. Leahy, please visit our flower store.
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