Obituary of Amy Harada

Amy Harada January 03, 1922 - April 07, 2007 Services for Amy Harada, 85, of Lovington, will be held at 10:00 am Friday, April 13, 2007 at First United Methodist Church. Rev. Virgil Ichtertz will officiate. Burial will follow at a later date in Colorado. Arrangements are under Kirby-Smith-Rogers Funeral Home. Visitation is sheduled for Wednesday, April 11, 2007 from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm and Thursday, April 12, 2007 from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm. Born January 3, 1922 in Kurume City, Japan, she passed away at her Lovington residence Saturday, April 7, 2007. Amy’s parents lived in the United States but she was born in Japan while her Mother was visiting relatives there. She came to the United States when she was 3 months old and became a naturalized citizen on Pearl Harbor Day on Dec. 7, 1953. She could not become a US citizen until December 1952 because the law did not permit. She lived in Colorado when she was growing up and graduated from Longmont High School in 1939. She moved to Los Angeles and attended Woodbury college, majoring in tailoring. Her family followed her to California and in 1942 they moved back to Colorado when all Japanese people had to leave the West coast. She married Henry Harada in Denver on Dec. 8, 1946 after he came home from serving in the war. They moved to Lovington in 1948 and started farming on what had been ranch land. In the beginning they had no electricity or running water and they truck farmed for 35 years raising their family on the farm. Amy was a life member of Woman’s Society of Christian Service receiving her certificate in 1959. She was very active in all aspects of the Methodist Church having been a member in Lovington since 1948. She started the first community wide Christian Women’s luncheon, enjoyed china painting, could sew or create almost anything, built a lot of her own furniture, made lap robes for the Chemo patients, and made sweaters and hats for the Guidepost for kids overseas, and she baked cookies for the prison ministry. She was given the Patriot award in 2006 by the Lovington Chamber of Commerce. She was an icon of good will, a hard worker, service to others being her aim in life and the sweetest spirit of womanhood. Survivors include two sons; Rodney Harada and wife Hiroko of Ridgewood, New Jersey and Stanley Harada and wife Suki of Albuquerque, New Mexico; daughter Patsi Humphrey and husband Ronnie of Lovington, New Mexico; four grandchildren; Erika Harada of Ridgewood, New Jersey; Takumi Harada of Ridgewood, New Jersey; Nikko Harada of Albuquerque, New Mexico; and Kiichi Harada of Albuquerque, New Mexico. She was preceded in death by her husband, Henry Harada; her parents, Torakichi and Fujiye Watanabe; two brothers, Ted Watanabe and Tom Watanabe.