Hisako Terasaki was the younger of two daughters born to Shuichi and Chizu Sumioka. Her parents emigrated from the Hiroshima region of Japan. Shuichi immigrated to the United States at age 15. While details about his immigration and early experiences are limited, records show he attended high school, later studying electrical engineering at Stanford and then Berkeley. He graduated from McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago in 1923. Shuichi held a position at Centenary Methodist Church in Los Angeles for several years before returning to Japan, where he married Chizu, who worked as an elementary school teacher.
Hisako, born in 1928, grew up with her sister Toki in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles, where their father ran a flower shop. The sisters remember roller skating in the area and working hard to support the family.
Before Hisako passed away, she and her sister discussed their mother Chizu in an interview. Chizu was always up first to prepare for the day and could handle customers despite limited English. Hisako was quiet and close to Chizu, while Toki was more spirited—even laughing when their father chased her around the dinner table.
At 13, Hisako’s life was upended by World War II. Her father lost his business at 55, and the family spent three years interned at Poston Relocation Camp in Arizona. Hisako recalled this difficult period forged strong bonds among fellow detainees.
After the war, the family's financial difficulties kept them apart. Hisako worked as an au pair while attending Marshall High School, visiting her family on weekends. She later studied at Los Angeles City College, where her artistic talent was recognized. Her mother died of liver cancer in 1948, which deeply affected Hisako, but she continued her education at Santa Monica City College as an education major. After a brief teaching stint, Hisako married Paul Terasaki in 1954, whom she met in a church choir.
Two children were born. Then, a big adventure, her husband received a fellowship to work abroad, and the young family spent 9 months in London and Paris. This was followed by the birth of two more children. Her husband Paul had a long career as a scientist at UCLA and she certainly helped him a great deal by managing the home front. Her husband later admitted that he was absent much of the time at work during the arduous, eventful process of raising four children. In addition to cooking dinner for six every night, Hisako learned how to entertain visiting scientists and host large lab events at their home.
By the late 1970s, after her children had moved out, Hisako was able to devote time to her personal pursuits. She attended night school and, over time, gained proficiency in the demanding field of printmaking, which involved drawing on and etching copper plates for printing. Her efforts led to notable achievements, such as several exhibitions of her work. Her prints became valued by relatives and friends and are now available on internet auction sites. In 2000, her husband, an enthusiastic supporter of her art, compiled a publication of her prints titled “Self-Portrait.”
In 1984, her husband founded the company One Lambda. The company achieved greater success than initially anticipated, resulting in a more comfortable lifestyle for the family. As a result of this change, she decided not to cook dinner anymore. Through her travels abroad, Hisako made acquaintances internationally. She was a long-standing member of the West Los Angeles United Methodist Church and participated in the annual church bazaar by contributing crafts.
Her husband passed away in 2016. In subsequent years, Hisako experienced a loss of short-term memory due to age. She moved to Hollenbeck Palms, an assisted living facility, shortly before the pandemic began in 2020. During her time there, she adapted to institutional living and cafeteria food. Staff and residents described her as pleasant and considerate. Despite memory challenges, she continued to produce watercolors. Her sister Toki died after a prolonged illness in February 2024, and Hisako passed away in April 2024.