In Loving Memories of Kai Kimura Swift

Our daughter, sister, granddaughter, niece, and friend, Kai, passed away on Saturday, April 2nd, 2022 peacefully in her sleep. For many years, Kai lived courageously with her condition of epilepsy. In her short but memorable 23 years of life, she was true to her values and loving to her family and friends.

 

Born in Austin, Texas in 1999, Kai moved to Las Vegas, Nevada, and then to Alexandria, Virginia to attend high school. Portland Oregon became her home in 2017 to attend Lewis and Clark College where she majored in Art which she continued to pursue after graduation. Her recent exhibitions were very well received by the public.

 

Kai was a deeply empathetic soul, with a quirky and creative streak. Courageous in her convictions, extremely loyal, and continually curious, she joined the D.C. Women’s March in January 2017 and pursued issues of racial and gender equity with, and through, her art. Kai was an activist in her community. She organized and participated in demonstrations for racial justice throughout the years 2020 and 2021 in Portland, Oregon. She had volunteered extensively over the years at homeless shelters in Las Vegas, Nevada, Santa Fe, New Mexico, and Portland, Oregon. Kai cherished her Asian heritage. Along with art, she wove her love of Asian culture into her life by participating in the 2018 Toyama Cup Japanese Speech Contest, fighting for AAPI rights, and equity for others, and attaining the Episcopal High School Annual Art Award in 2017.

 

Kai is preceded in death by her beloved mother Yu Kimura, and her grandfathers Hideo and George. Kai is survived by her older sister Hana, father Justin, aunts Ko and Tomoko, step-mother Tao, step-brother Chenyu, and grandmothers Kyoko and Evangeline. She is loved and mourned by many family and friends. Kai’s infectious joie de vivre, stand for justice, and equality will live on in them.

 

In Portland, Kai’s Art Memorial will be showing Friday, April 15th, at the Arnold Gallery located at Lewis and Clark College. In Santa Fe, there will be a memorial service for Kai at 11 AM, Tuesday, April 19, 2022, at the Church of the Holy Faith, 311 E Palace Ave., Santa Fe, NM 87501. The event will be streamed online and the link will be posted closer to the service.

 

The purpose of this fund is to give Kai's family, friends, and people who were impacted by her an opportunity to contribute to her memory. The funds will help alleviate the family's financial stress and help to pay for funeral-related costs. Any additional funds available will be donated to the Epilepsy Foundation in Kai's memory.