Dorothy S. Fujii 10/10/1921 – 5/18/2022

Dorothy S. Fujii, who lived in Auburn for nearly all of the past century, peacefully died at home May 18 surrounded by her family following a short illness. She died with gratitude in her heart for the many gifts of life and will long be remembered for her beauty, sunny disposition and boundless energy. Dorothy Shizuye Tsuda was born Oct. 10, 1921, in the residence behind K. Tsuda General Mercantile, her father's business in Old Town Auburn. She was the youngest of four children of Japanese immigrants Katsuichi and Tomo Tsuda, and she and her siblings grew up immersed in the area's Japanese American community. She learned Japanese dance, tea ceremony, flower arranging and other cultural traditions. Daily life revolved around the family business, and Dorothy had vivid childhood memories of helping at the store, bottling wine from barrels with her brothers and sister, and weighing out candy, sugar and flour for their customers. Long-time Auburn residents may best remember Dorothy as one of the friendly faces behind the counter at Tsuda Grocery, a small store founded in the 1950s by her older brother, Frank Tsuda, a few doors down from the original store. She attended Lincoln Way School in the building that now houses Auburn City Hall, and Auburn High School, which later became Placer High School. Like many of her generation, Dorothy's life was upended by World War II. She was 19 and attending business school in Sacramento when Franklin Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066 on Feb. 19, 1942, forcing an estimated 110,000 to 120,000 Japanese Americans on the West Coast into relocation camps. Along with her mother and brother Frank she was confined at Tule Lake, Calif., then later Jerome, Ark., and Gila, Ariz.; while her father was separately placed in a camp near Bismarck, N.D.. Her sister Mae and brother Johnny were in Japan for school and could not return to the United States until after the war. Dorothy nearly shared that fate, but after arriving in Japan in January 1940, she could not find suitable schooling and returned home. She landing in San Francisco on July 18, 1940, less than 17 months before the attack on Pearl Harbor. She was interned for three years until a resettlement program allowed internees to move to the Midwest or East Coast to work. Dorothy chose Chicago, where she became a beautician and met her future husband, Ted Fujii, on V-J Day in 1945. The couple were married Feb. 23, 1947, at the Hilton Memorial Chapel. She remembered the time in Chicago from 1944 to 1949 as "the best years of my life," enjoying work, Cubs games at Wrigley Field, and Big Band performances. Dorothy then relocated west to help with family business. First, she and Ted moved to Salt Lake City, where they helped Ted's parents establish a flower nursey. Then she returned to Auburn, where Ted helped operate Tsuda Grocery. Dorothy began working at the store in the late 1960's until she closed the business in 2006. In addition to managing the store she was also an active member of the Placer Buddhist Church for 70 years. Dorothy had remarkable inner strength, accepted adversity gracefully, and leaves behind a legacy of a strong work ethic and dedication to family. She was preceded in death by her husband Ted, and son, Mark. She is survived by son and daughter-in-law, Reed and Lesley Fujii and their children, Mariko and Alison; son and daughter-in-law, Craig and Kathryn Fujii, and their children, Brian, Grant and Sam: and daughter and son-in-law Robyn and Tim Woodall and their children, Olive and Matt: and six great grandchildren. A private service is planned. Memorial donations may be made to your favorite charity or Placer Buddhist Church, 3192 Boyington Road, Penryn, CA 95663.