Keiko Yoshida Williams

Keiko Yoshida Williams passed away at home in Bozeman on Aug. 31, 2024, with family at her side. She was 93. 

Keiko was born in Hiroshima, Japan, on Jan. 5, 1931, to Izumi and Tsutayo Yoshida. She was the middle of five children. Keiko’s young life was scored by her parents’ musical talents and marked by their daily tea ceremonies, by weekend outings chosen by the Yoshida siblings in rotation, and by time spent in her mother’s shop which was filled with yarn and notions for sewing.

At 14, in the midst of World War II, Keiko was employed by the Toyo Kogyo (now Mazda) factory, where her father was an executive. To contribute to the war effort, both teens and their tutors worked at the factory, which overlooked the city from across the Hiroshima Bay. 

Keiko’s life was shattered on Aug. 6, 1945, when the atomic bomb that leveled Hiroshima claimed the lives of her mother and youngest sister. Survivors often call the bomb “pikadon,” which some say translates to “flash boom.” Keiko’s translation was “white lighting.” She said the bomb was beautiful.

Keiko would build a life out of the ashes of the bomb. With her mother gone and older sister seriously injured, Keiko learned to cook and sew to care for her father and younger brother. A few years later, working alongside her older sister in a coffee shop, Keiko’s quick smile caught the interest of an American soldier who was stationed in Hiroshima to contribute to post-war clean-up efforts. Despite the language barrier, that soldier, John “Jack” Williams, would frequent the shop in an effort to talk to Keiko. The pair were married and had their first child in Japan, before returning to Jack’s home in Montana. They would criss-cross the country with each new Army post until settling back in Bozeman in the late ’60s.

Keiko’s love of fashion and need to clothe her seven children led her to become an expert pattern-maker and seamstress. Keiko spent much of her life outfitting her family, knitting personalized sweaters, making matching pajama sets and throwing her love into wedding dresses. Later, she used her skills behind a sewing machine at Bozeman companies such as Life Link, Croakies, OpTech, Little Big Horn Shirt Company, and Simms. She was especially proud of her work at Simms and loved watching the company’s growth in her later years. 

Keiko was also proud of her American citizenship, which she earned in 1962. If you asked her, she would happily tell you about it. Keiko loved to talk. And she didn’t have a filter. For years, Keiko regaled students in Bozeman High School classes with stories of the horrors experienced in the aftermath of the bomb, peppering them with some more colorful anecdotes of her life. Inspired by her story, these classes and their teacher Jim L. Thompson nominated Keiko to carry the Olympic torch on its way to the 2002 games in Salt Lake City. 

Above all, Keiko loved caring for her children and grandchildren. She also loved shopping, rice crackers and old samurai movies. She would tell you that she didn’t like sweets, then happily reach for them anyway. 

Keiko will be remembered for her humor and joy, for her ability to forgive in the face of incredible atrocity and for her immense love for her family.

Keiko was preceded in death by her parents, Izumi and Tsutayo Yoshida, husband John “Jack” Williams, son Johnny Williams and son-in-law Wally Larson. She is survived by children Mary Larson, Geoff Williams (Ramona), Jed Williams, Naomi Stewart (Frank), Jackie Kofoid (Larry), and Teresa Shikany (Mike); brother Shoji (Hatsue); sister-in-law Pat Wilson; grandchildren Eric and Dan Larson, Jason and Jennifer Williams, John Thomas Williams, Rachel Hergett, Cody and Cory Kofoid, Breein and Jeremiah Williams and William, Jonathan and Natalie Shikany, as well as their spouses and significant others; and numerous step grandchildren, great grandchildren, nieces and nephews and their children. 

No memorial services are planned.