- C
- S
Diane Yoshiko Iwasaki discovered that she had metastatic breast cancer a couple months ago.
She won the battles against breast cancer in 2010 and 2015, but this time the cancer took too much from her physical body.
On the morning of Monday May 28th, 2018, she had an incident which led her to the ER and subsequently the ICU at UCLA Ronald Reagan Hospital.
After a lifetime of working hard, she was finally able to rest. Her last moments were with her children, thanking her and comforting her as much as they could. It was the most peaceful scenario that they could have asked for and hope that it is what she would have wanted.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In life, Diane was a powerful force that touched many.
Being a Girl Scout Troop Leader, Room Mother, Librarian Mom, Hair Dresser and Friend to many, her proudest title was Mother.
She had raised her children to be the best they could be, and was able to see them grow, have careers, marry the loves of their lives, become home owners, and eventually parents.
She was so excited to finally become a Grandmother, or "Grandi". She was able to share the joy of seeing her son become a father, and seeing her first grandson Connor, turn one. She also shared in the excitement of her daughter's pregnancy and the anticipation of her second grandson, growing healthy and strong.
Among the many experiences and values that she had planned for her grandchildren, there was one that stood out above the rest. It was that they learn about the history and appreciate what it means to be "Gosei" or 5th Generation Japanese American.
Below is a story from her daughter Jill, about an impromptu day recently spent together at the Japanese American National Museum in Little Tokyo:
---
Mom had a rare free day off of work and texted me the night before “Whatcha doing tomorrow. I am FREE all day tomorrow from 10:00 on.. Wanna do something? I will pick you up… shopping.. Museum.. Any suggestions”.
She said she’d pick me up, so she came around in her prized little red mini cooper and said she wanted to go to the Japanese American Museum in downtown LA. As we drove around J-town, she remarked about how different it was from when she used to go there all the time. She navigated the streets without needing any technology and knew exactly where to park.
When we got to the museum, the first thing she wanted to do was find engraved bricks with mine and Kirk’s names on them. We spent some time searching for them ourselves, but eventually had to go inside to ask for direction.
While in the museum, Mom commented to me how important it is for me to pass along the Japanese-American story to my children. She looked at the walls of names along every corridor and talked about people that she knew. For example, our Great Grandfather on the Iwasaki side that was the first Asian American to graduate from Stanford Law.
As we went through the exhibit, we looked at some dirt from different internment camps and we talked about Heart Mountain (Grandpa Frank), Gila River (Grandma Sally), Topaz (Grandma Kazi), and Tule Lake (Grandpa Min).
She told stories like she always does, stories that I thought would be told over and over again. Stories that I now wish I had paid closer attention to.
---
Trips to Little Tokyo and the Japanese American National Museum was something she cherished, and was one way she had planned to teach her Grandchildren about their heritage and family history.
Sadly, trips with Grandi will never happen.
It is with this thought that we would like to request your help in ensuring those lessons will forever be remembered, for not only her Grandchildren, but for anyone who visits the Japanese American National Museum.
In the heart of the Museum, there is a wall along the "Educational Walkway" reserved for permanent recognition of individuals, families, or honorees who have made large donations.


We would like to make a donation on behalf of Diane and reserve a permanent spot on this wall with her name as a memorial. This would establish a place where her Grandchildren, friends, and family can visit her as well as learn about the many wonderful things that are Japanese American.
From the bottom of our hearts, we would like to thank you for your love and support in remembering the amazing woman we all knew Diane to be.
- Kirk & Jill -
Diane's Army refers to anyone who knew our mother during her cancer years, 2010-2018. Created in 2010 for a Komen Race for the Cure event in San Diego, the logo and term was created by the one and only "Auntie Peggy" in recognition of those who offered love, comfort, support, wine and food. We thank you for being so good to our mom as she fought the fight of her life. She was so lucky to have such an amazing support network. We will never forget Diane's Army.

She won the battles against breast cancer in 2010 and 2015, but this time the cancer took too much from her physical body.
On the morning of Monday May 28th, 2018, she had an incident which led her to the ER and subsequently the ICU at UCLA Ronald Reagan Hospital.
After a lifetime of working hard, she was finally able to rest. Her last moments were with her children, thanking her and comforting her as much as they could. It was the most peaceful scenario that they could have asked for and hope that it is what she would have wanted.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In life, Diane was a powerful force that touched many.
Being a Girl Scout Troop Leader, Room Mother, Librarian Mom, Hair Dresser and Friend to many, her proudest title was Mother.
She had raised her children to be the best they could be, and was able to see them grow, have careers, marry the loves of their lives, become home owners, and eventually parents.
She was so excited to finally become a Grandmother, or "Grandi". She was able to share the joy of seeing her son become a father, and seeing her first grandson Connor, turn one. She also shared in the excitement of her daughter's pregnancy and the anticipation of her second grandson, growing healthy and strong.
Among the many experiences and values that she had planned for her grandchildren, there was one that stood out above the rest. It was that they learn about the history and appreciate what it means to be "Gosei" or 5th Generation Japanese American.
Below is a story from her daughter Jill, about an impromptu day recently spent together at the Japanese American National Museum in Little Tokyo:
---
Mom had a rare free day off of work and texted me the night before “Whatcha doing tomorrow. I am FREE all day tomorrow from 10:00 on.. Wanna do something? I will pick you up… shopping.. Museum.. Any suggestions”.
She said she’d pick me up, so she came around in her prized little red mini cooper and said she wanted to go to the Japanese American Museum in downtown LA. As we drove around J-town, she remarked about how different it was from when she used to go there all the time. She navigated the streets without needing any technology and knew exactly where to park.
When we got to the museum, the first thing she wanted to do was find engraved bricks with mine and Kirk’s names on them. We spent some time searching for them ourselves, but eventually had to go inside to ask for direction.
While in the museum, Mom commented to me how important it is for me to pass along the Japanese-American story to my children. She looked at the walls of names along every corridor and talked about people that she knew. For example, our Great Grandfather on the Iwasaki side that was the first Asian American to graduate from Stanford Law.
As we went through the exhibit, we looked at some dirt from different internment camps and we talked about Heart Mountain (Grandpa Frank), Gila River (Grandma Sally), Topaz (Grandma Kazi), and Tule Lake (Grandpa Min).
She told stories like she always does, stories that I thought would be told over and over again. Stories that I now wish I had paid closer attention to.
---
Trips to Little Tokyo and the Japanese American National Museum was something she cherished, and was one way she had planned to teach her Grandchildren about their heritage and family history.
Sadly, trips with Grandi will never happen.
It is with this thought that we would like to request your help in ensuring those lessons will forever be remembered, for not only her Grandchildren, but for anyone who visits the Japanese American National Museum.
In the heart of the Museum, there is a wall along the "Educational Walkway" reserved for permanent recognition of individuals, families, or honorees who have made large donations.
We would like to make a donation on behalf of Diane and reserve a permanent spot on this wall with her name as a memorial. This would establish a place where her Grandchildren, friends, and family can visit her as well as learn about the many wonderful things that are Japanese American.
From the bottom of our hearts, we would like to thank you for your love and support in remembering the amazing woman we all knew Diane to be.
- Kirk & Jill -
Diane's Army refers to anyone who knew our mother during her cancer years, 2010-2018. Created in 2010 for a Komen Race for the Cure event in San Diego, the logo and term was created by the one and only "Auntie Peggy" in recognition of those who offered love, comfort, support, wine and food. We thank you for being so good to our mom as she fought the fight of her life. She was so lucky to have such an amazing support network. We will never forget Diane's Army.
Organizador