centenarians Archives - ACC Senior Services

A Celebration for the Ages

January 9, 2020

by Ted Fong blog centenarians

On September 14, ACC Care Center hosted “Celebrating Our Centenarians” at Sacramento Asian Sports Foundation in Elk Grove. More than 500 people showed up to honor those in our community who are 100 years and older. The Centenarian honorees included:

Toshio Fukuda
Chang Hou
Emiko Nakano
Lam Chan Luc
Mae Chan
Frances Jaksich
Aaron Okamoto
Haruye Okamoto
Lorraine Nagae

Nai Chin Koo
Audrey Ah Tye
Tomako Mori
Mabelle Jan
Fannie Wong
Annie Wong
Ai Tanaka
Sally Taketa

Guests were treated to great food and regaled with amazing stories of the past century. Fourteen members of the Care Center staff performed a special song and dance number. Henry Adkisson from the office of Councilmember Rick Jennings presented Keys to the City and Certificates of Recognition to the Centenarians.

In addition to honoring the Centenarians who attended, ACC Care Center gave Special Recognition Awards to Janet Sakata, Wayne Shimizu, and Medline for their unique and lasting contributions to ACC Care Center.

Celebrating Our Centenarians

September 22, 2019

by Ted Fong with No Comment blog Careers centenarians

This month, ACC is honoring Sacramentans who are 100 years old and older. We found 22 of them. Actually, they found us. As soon as we announced “Celebrating Our Centenarians” as the theme for ACC’s 33rd Annual Care Center Fundraiser, the calls started coming in.

Imagine being born in 1919. A terrible war just ended. It was the era of silent movies, jazz, and the Ford Model T. Life was good except for the fact that the average person in the U.S. only lived to 54.

Most of the centenarians we interviewed for this issue of ACC News grew up poor, but 100 years later, they have no regrets. Their stories are amazing and quaint.

“My father used to take me to school with a horse and buggy.” says Audrey Ah Tye, aged 102, with a chuckle.

Tomako Mori, aged 100, came from a family of seven children. They lived on a 100-acre farm in Lincoln. “There was no telephone at home to call a doctor. So, her father delivered all of his children,” says Tomako’s daughter Anna Louie.

Many of the centenarians have been to ACC for skilled nursing, classes, social services, transportation, and meals. Five of them reside at ACC Care Center and ACC Greenhaven Terrace.

Chang Hou, aged 100, immigrated from Hong Kong in 1976. Shortly after, she took crochet, ceramics, and knitting classes at ACC when it operated out of a house owned by the Tambara family on V Street.

Lorraine Nagae, aged 101, enjoys Meals on Wheels by ACC once a week at the Japanese Buddhist Church.

Then there are those centenarians who make you go “wow.” Fannie and Annie Wong are 103 year old twins. Their older sister Pearl is 104.

Husband and wife Aaron and Haruye Okamoto are both centenarians. He’s 103 and she’s 101. They were married on Valentine’s Day and celebrated their 75th anniversary this year.

The centenarians we interviewed have several things in common: hard work, strong family support, and a simple view of themselves. What’s it like to be a centenarian? “I don’t know. I feel the same as when I was 90,” says Frances Jaksich. “It’s no big deal,” says Fannie Wong. Chang Hou complains that people at ACC Care Center are too old for her. What a great attitude!

There are 75,000 centenarians in the U.S. That number will grow to 600,000 by mid-century. At this rate, 40% of the residents at ACC Care Center will be centenarians. One can only imagine how big the celebration will be at the 64th Annual Care Center Fundraiser in 2050!

Celebrating Our Centenarians: Tomako Mori

September 9, 2019

by Corky Mau with No Comment blog centenarians

Tomako Mori was born in Loomis, CA in 1919. She was one of seven children raised on a 100-acre fruit farm in Lincoln. Life on the farm had its challenges. Crops had to be handpicked; there was no modern farm equipment to harvest the crops. They rode horses and buggies to haul fruit from the fields to be packed into wood crates. Tomako’s father was from Hiroshima and didn’t speak any English. “There was no telephone at home to call a doctor. So he delivered all of his children,” says Tomako’s daughter Anna Louie.

Tomako was one of seven children raised on a 100-acre fruit farm in Lincoln.

Tomako’s father returned to Japan periodically to take care of family property. In 1936, she and her father got stuck in Osaka. She went to high school and junior college there. Like all girls of her age, she learned flower arranging and how to serve tea. To make money, she ran a black market in town, selling shoyu, groceries and cigarettes to people. “I had dual citizenship, so at one point, I also worked for the U.S. government as an interpreter.”

She met her husband, Kenny Mori, in 1949. Returning by ship from Japan, she saw him standing on the pier in San Francisco. With a smile, she recalls,” It was love at first sight”. They married in May 1951. In the 1950s, the Moris started a business called General Automotive Service. He was the auto mechanic and she was the bookkeeper. Their son Kenneth now oversees the business.

Tomako recently had a big 100th birthday bash at Thunder Valley Casino. What’s the best part of making it to 100? She says, “ I feel great. My mind stays sharp because I look after my investment properties. I see friends every week. On Wednesdays, we meet at Thunder Valley for lunch and to play slot machines. On Fridays, I see them at the Japanese Buddhist Church for lunch.” Tomako and Kenny raised five children – Anna, Kenneth, Tom, Tim, and Tami. Tomako is the happiest when seeing her family, which also includes six grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.