Rose Yamauchi

Rose Sumiko Yamauchi, 101, passed away peacefully on Thursday, August 28, 2025, at Torrance Memorial Medical Center in Torrance, California

Rose was born on September 27, 1923, to Katsusaburo Utsunomiya and Mine Semikawa Utsunomiya in Long Beach, CA. She had an older sister, the late Alice Seki of San Pedro, CA and her younger sister, the late Nancy Nishimura of Lombard, IL.

She received a master's degree from the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science and performed research on Vitamin B12.

She married the late Shigeharu Yamauchi in 1951 and had her son, Mark in 1954.

After moving to Long Beach, CA in 1955, she worked at Sav-On Drug Store in Norwalk and was eventually promoted to become Sav-on’s first female manager and first female pharmacy manager. Rose was recognized with Sav-on’s Outstanding Achievement award in 1985. She retired in 1998 as the pharmacy manager at the Monterey Park Sav-on.

Upon retirement, Rose joined a creative writing group and enjoyed writing stories of family history and experiences. She was able to capture a lot of her memories in a 2011 video interview with the University of Massachusetts Boston, Joseph P. Healey Library.

She is survived by her son: Mark (Laura) Yamauchi; grandchildren: Amanda (Alex) Fabeck and Scott Yamauchi; and great-grandchildren Madison and Austin Fabeck.