Theresa Gass

Theresa K. Gass August 6, 1915 - June 24, 2011 Theresa Kayoko Gass was born on August 6, 1915 in Japan. Honoring her family's longtime commitment to education, she earned a degree in English from Seishin Sacred Heart College in Tokyo, Japan and eventually became a proud member of the American Association of University Women AAUW which advances equity for women and girls through advocacy, education, philanthropy and research. After graduation, she married Zenji Watanabe. Zenji was born on July 30, 1907 in Japan. He earned a degree in Philosophy from Sophia University in Tokyo. He and Theresa were wed in 1937 and had four children. In 1940, Zenji commenced a teaching position at Hojin Catholic University in Beijing, China. However, in 1944, he put his academic career on hold to serve in the military. In 1945, while serving in World War II, Zenji passed away. During World War II, Theresa taught English in Beijing, China. After the war, she was an Executive Assistant for Goodyear in Tokyo, Japan. She then married her second husband, a US serviceman, and became an Administrative Assistant for the Red Cross. She spent approximately twenty years serving the Red Cross internationally, including in Germany, Italy and France. And upon completion of her second husband's military career, they settled in California where she took a position as an Administrative Assistant for Gilroy Foods. After Theresa and her second husband divorced, she retired to Arizona. Theresa utilized her retirement to further explore her lifetime passion for music. She was accomplished with multiple instruments, including the piano and the recorder, and was a devoted member of a small ensemble. Additionally, she was an extremely active member of an approximately eight-hundred member chorus in Green Valley, Arizona. And after moving to Mississippi to be closer to family, Theresa became a member of the Annunciation Church Choir in Kiln, Mississippi. Commencing in 2005, Theresa resided with her eldest daughter and their family in Shaker Heights, Ohio and was a member of Holy Spirit Catholic Church. She then spent the final year and a half of her life at St. Augustine Health Campus in Cleveland, Ohio - a loving and supportive community where she was well taken care of and well liked. Theresa K. Gass passed away peacefully on Friday, June 24th, at the age of 95. She is survived by her four children and their partners, Reiko M Simmons Julius L. Simmons of Shaker Heights, OH, Masahiko Watanabe Tomoe Watanabe of Nagaya, Japan, Miwa Delgado Robert Delgado of Diamondhead, MS, and Mimi S. Leonard of Walnut Creek, CA, as well as eight grandchildren, Virginia K. Simmons, Kerrilyn M. Simmons, Akihiko Watanabe, Christopher J. Delgado, Nana M. Delgado, Kecia H. Leonard, Jacquelyn S. Leonard and Jessamyn M. Finneran; and nine great-grandchildren, Yumi L. Simmons, Chyna N. Byrd, Noah A. Coggin, Anna G. Coggin, Gwendelyn R. Robinson, Anthony J. Robinson, Samantha Finneran, Christopher Finneran and Paul Finneran. She was also the beloved sister of Sister Elizabeth Shima, the late Tatsundo Kawazoe, the late Akimitsu Hosoi, and the late Margaret Hosoi. Memorial Services will be held at 11 a.m. on Friday, July 1st at Holy Spirit Catholic Church, 4341 E. 131st Street, Garfield Heights, OH 44105. She will then be laid to rest at Interment Calvary Cemetery. Contributions in her name can be made to Holy Spirit Catholic Church. Friends may call at Brown-Forward Funeral Home, 17022 Chagrin Blvd., Shaker Heights, OH on Thursday, June 30th from 5:00 to 7:00 pm.


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