NVC Foundation Japanese American Memorial Wall

May 1917 - April 1942
Kane (Connie) Yabuki was born in Seattle on May 2, 1917 to Terumatsu and Hide Yabuki. The family moved to Bellevue and then to Hunts Point, where they owned and operated Hunts Point Greenhouse.
As a child, Connie took piano and violin lessons from a neighbor, and played violin in the school orchestra. She attended Bay School and graduated from Kirkland High School in June 1935.
After graduation, she and her mother took a trip to Fukushima, Japan with the Taiyo Girl's Kengakudan.
Connie married Keiji Saito on May 15, 1938, and their first home was at the Amelia Apartments on 18th and Yesler. On April 19, 1939, Mitsue (later changed to "Mitzi") was born. The three of them subsequently moved to a house on King Street.
World War II began on December 7, 1941.

May 1942 - September 1944
On May 19, 1942, Connie, Keiji, and Mitzi were evacuated to the Puyallup Assembly Center where they stayed until they were transferred to Minidoka in September 1942.
Nancy was born in the internment camp on August 14, 1943.
Connie and the two girls left Minidoka and relocated to Spokane in November 1944. They joined Keiji, who had left two months earlier.

November 1944 -
The family lived in Spokane, where Keiji managed North Coast Supply Co. for 14 years before returning to the Seattle area.
During that time, Barbara was born on October 23, 1945. She died in Seattle on June 30, 1947. Warren was born May 14, 1951 at Sacred Heart Hospital.
Connie worked part-time at North Coast Supply while they were living in Spokane. She then worked part-time at North Coast Importing Co. once they moved back to Seattle.
Since 1960, the Saito home is at 6617 Beacon Avenue South.
Some of the many activities and interests Connie enjoys (or has enjoyed) are golf, skiing, sewing, knitting, crocheting, crafts, cooking, cake decorating, watching baseball, and reading. She has been a volunteer teacher of Thursday Crafts at Kokorokai, and participates in the Blaine U.M.C. Tuesday Ladies group.