Reiko Naito VanSant

Reiko Naito VanSant passed away peacefully on June 25, 2021. A Memorial Service will be held on Friday, July 16, 2021 at 11:00 a.m. at River Park Church, 3232 E 70th St., Shreveport, Louisiana with a second visitation starting at 10:00 a.m. until service time. A visitation will be held on Thursday, July 15, 2021 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Rose-Neath Funeral Home, 1815 Marshall St., Shreveport, Louisiana. Officiating the service will be Pastor Marcus Briggs. Reiko, the first of eight siblings, was born on November 8, 1928 in Ozuki, Japan. By Japanese standards she was well educated in academics as well as cultural training in traditional flower arranging and dance. She excelled in sewing and attended advanced tailoring schools which provided the foundation for her lifetime career as a master seamstress. Reiko lived through the trauma and challenges of World War II in her small town which was located between Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Fortunately, her family did not suffer any long-term health effects of the war. Her home was situated in a farming community and though her family did not experience severe food shortages during the war, the trauma of the war was the basis for her lifelong passion for food. She had a need to always have multiple refrigerators and freezers stocked with food which at one point became humorous to her family and friends. As the oldest daughter, Reiko was very close to her mother, Kiyono, and often said that both her mother and her father, Masao, indulged her every wish. The family depended on her to help rear her younger siblings and she often told stories of being responsible for getting them into the cellar when the bombing sirens blared the warning of enemy aircraft approaching. Miraculously, all of her family survived the war. Despite the war, her family felt no hostilities toward the Americans and blamed the Japanese rulers for the brutal final attacks that Japan endured; they believed that Japan should not have "woken the sleeping giant" by attacking Pearl Harbor. Mutual friends introduced Reiko met Billy Eugene VanSant in 1952 while he was stationed at Ashiya Air Force Base in Fukuoka, Japan during the Korean War. They soon married and had their daughter, Mary Jane, who was born at the airbase. Reiko was always a very independent and determined soul, who as the "family rebel", set sail for the United States in July 1953. Reiko's first introduction to America was her welcome by Bill's family in his hometown of Marietta, OK. Her new mother-in-law, Ida VanSant greeted the new wife and daughter of her youngest child with open arms and would be an important part of Reiko's life until Ida's death. Reiko's first home was in Albuquerque, NM where her son Michael Ray was born in 1955. She was fortunate to live near one of Bill's cousins who was a great help in teaching her English and the basics of western culture. The family next moved to Edwards Air Force Base, CA and again Reiko had the support of Bill's friends and relatives who lived nearby. Her sewing career continued to evolve as she provided her seamstress services to the residents of the air base. She discovered her love for Elvis, became an avid fan, and loved when Bill took her and their young children to the local drive-in movie. Reiko's love of turtles was instilled when it became a regular occurrence for the tortoises to walk in from the desert through the unscreened doors. She used a little nail polish to mark the turtle shell with an initial and the family delighted when weeks later the same turtle would return for a visit. In 1957, the family lived in Marietta, Oklahoma for eighteen months while Bill was stationed in the Azores. Reiko and her children thrived with the support of Bill's family and Mary Jane and Mike's best childhood memories began with the time they spent with their grandmother, aunts and uncles. It was always important for Reiko to share her Japanese culture, so along with her sewing talents, she began to share her life's experiences through public speaking. She dressed in the traditional Japanese attire of kimono and hairstyle to give talks to churches, schools, and civic groups. She was truly an Ambassador of Japanese culture. Reiko did not know a stranger and the fact that she spoke with an accent did not stop her. The public loved her, and her talks were always well attended including many from the very small community who experienced their first encounter with a person from Japan. In 1959 the family moved to Barksdale Air Force Base which was the beginning of Reiko's life in Bossier City and Shreveport, LA where she remained until her death. She was a master seamstress who could fix anything. Her clients included some of the most prominent residents in Shreveport. Her sewing talent even changed the lives of some of her clients, including a prominent attorney who for most of his life wore ill-fitting suits because he was wheelchair bound, with a misshapen body due to polio. Reiko was able to custom tailor his wardrobe that dramatically improved his professional appearance. She dressed him until his death. Even in her 80s' she was trusted and responsible for providing alterations for wedding dresses as well as the dresses for the entire wedding party, sometimes including the groom and groomsmen. She received numerous phone calls from desperate brides-to-be whose dress had been improperly altered by another seamstress. She provided emergency rescue services in these situations making it possible to meet whatever deadline the bride was facing. Many of her clients became lifelong friends. As she aged, she was very saddened as she outlived more and more of these special people. Reiko had clients until her retirement at the age of 91. Her hobbies included watercolor painting and gardening. She excelled in painting small animals. She loved plants and collected many species of indoor plants, some of which are over 40 years old. Her outdoor garden became a horticultural showplace with azaleas, hydrangeas, and other seasonally blooming trees and plants. In May 1990, the Highland Restoration Association Newsletter had the cover headline "Springtime 'Snowballs' in Highland" featuring a photo of the blooming Viburnum Snowball trees. She delighted in providing starter snowball trees to those who asked and her "babies" are growing in gardens from Louisiana to Georgia. Reiko loved to cook and through the years has served food to many people. In her kitchen, she provided lunch to many police officers as well as mayors, judges, and other prominent people. She was known for her coveted cream puffs and pound cake. She delivered her chicken soup to her friends as soon as she found out they had an ailment. It was not an isolated case when someone would say that her soup was all that they could eat. Reiko was a stunning beauty and in the 1960's she completed Mr. Lynn's School of Modeling. Cowen Studios photographed her modeling traditional Japanese dress and entered photo competitions which resulted in prominent awards. Her role as a Japanese Cultural Ambassador continued to thrive as she provided Japanese themed dinner parties for her clients. She dressed in her kimono, cooked, and served her delicious sukiyaki, shrimp, and vegetable tempura. She delighted in providing her talks on Japan to schools and other events. Her enjoyment of teaching initiated her hosting a sewing class at her home for several years. Her students enjoyed not only learning sewing techniques, but the group loved their weekly exchange of stories, food, and fun. Reiko will always be remembered for her candid, unfiltered, and sometimes politically incorrect expressions, or comments. Because she was so loved and endeared, as well as her "excuse" of being Japanese, the result of her faux pas was most often received with a smile or even laughter. She was never mean spirited, so when she told a client, "You are too fat", rather than saying, "Perhaps you should lose some weight" or other more tactful statement, the recipient knew she had the best intentions for their well-being. In one situation, she noticed an unusual mole on one of her clients and TOLD her to go to the doctor. The client was diagnosed with a melanoma that was caught early because of Reiko's astuteness. Once when sitting next to a lady who was smoking, she said, "I know it is not my business, but you are such a pretty young women, I think you should not smoke". The lady did not say anything. Several weeks later, the lady saw Reiko and said, "Thank you for telling me to quit smoking, because of what you said, I have stopped". Even strangers could sense her sincere desire to help people. A story of Reiko's life cannot be complete without addressing her "Happy Place". She had a love of gambling that started when she was a child. There was a horse racing track near her childhood home and she told the story that when the sound of the opening race was heard by her mother working in the rice fields, the family would often go to the track. Without the proximity of a gambling venue nearby, she was not able to partake until 1974 when Louisiana Downs opened. For many years her favorite place was the track and she was a regular at the Sky Club. She "bet the jockey" and always the gray horse for long races. In 1994 her "Happy Place" transitioned to the slot machines when Shreveport opened its first casino. Her biggest triumph was winning a 2000 Slot Tournament at Sam's Town and she and Mike won a trip to Reno! During the last ten years, Eldorado Casino became Reiko's home away from home. She loved going to the buffet every week and looked forward to seeing her casino family that included about twenty dear friends and staff. During crawfish season, she delighted in making and giving away crawfish bibs to whoever wanted one. Reiko did not regularly attend concerts, but she discovered Aaron Neville and attended every concert he performed in Shreveport. One of her most cherished photos is the one with her getting Aaron Neville's autograph. Reiko's primary reason for continuing to work as long as she did was to be able to fund her trips to the casino and enjoy the company of what Mary Jane called her "casino country club family". As she was aging in her 80's she was no longer able to work all night and the long hours as in her younger days. She began to limit the number of clients she could accommodate. There were several folks that she never turned away since they were loyal clients who had been with her for decades. Others quickly learned that they would stay on her "preferred list" if they tipped her with "play money". She was always so grateful for those contributions and regularly reported these events to the family. There were a cherished few who continued to bring her projects and a generous tip right up until she retired even though the quality of her work was starting to decline. Mary Jane and Mike are truly grateful to those folks. Two weeks before her death, Mary Jane took her to her last Eldorado outing, and she was so happy that she had actually won! Reiko's relatives in Japan were important to her, but being so far away, for many years she did not have many opportunities to talk or see them. In 1976, a very generous client paid for her parents to come to Shreveport and it had been the first time she had seen them since 1953. Her brother paid for a trip for her and Mike to go to Japan in 1992 and Mike was able to meet his maternal relatives for the first time. Mary Jane took her to visit Japan a few more times in the last twenty years and one trip included attending the wedding of one of her nieces that enabled her to see her entire family. The daughter of that niece, Momoko Naito, attended a study abroad program in Utah in 2018 and was able to visit with her US family in Atlanta and Shreveport. When the cost of international telephone calls declined significantly in the 2000's, Reiko was able to talk to her brothers and sisters more regularly. In the last ten years she cherished the weekly calls with her brothers and sisters whose numbers were on "speed dial". In recent months Reiko was delighted when Momoko helped set up Zoom calls with some of her relatives. Reiko was preceded in death by her parents; former husband, Billy Eugene VanSant; sisters, Yaeko Yoshida and Sakiko Sato and brother, Yoshio Naito. She is survived by her children, Mary Jane VanSant and husband, John Terranova and Mike VanSant; grandchildren, Tim Terranova, Michael VanSant, Jason Terranova and wife, Hannah and Leland VanSant; great-granddaughter, Carla Terranova; brothers, Sadao Naito and Michiharu Naito; sisters, Etsuko Fujiwara and Mitsuko Nishimura and former daughter-in-law, Angela Politz. Her children always came first and as a seamstress she had a career that enabled her to work at home long before it became a career alternative. She was always involved in her kid's school activities, often being the Room Mother during the elementary years, never missing a teacher-parent conference. Reiko regularly supported and participated in her kid's extracurricular activities, including being the Team Mother for Mike's Little League baseball team. She loved to boast about the accomplishments of her family, often to the embarrassment of her offspring. Mike and Mary Jane always referred to her as "Momma" and so her Eldorado Casino family including staff and friends addressed her as "Momma". To her grandchildren and great-granddaughter, she was their beloved "Mimi" who they loved to be with and who always remembered their birthdays and Christmas with generous gifts. Reiko's family and friends feel so blessed for her remarkably long, enriched life. As someone said, "There will never be another Reiko". She not only was an exemplary matriarch to her family; she was also a stellar contributor to her community. Reiko VanSant will be missed for many years to come and never be forgotten. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorials may be made to Mounted Patrol Support Group, c/o DDA, 416 Cotton St., Shreveport, LA 71101. Reiko's family would appreciate stories, pictures, or memories that can be shared to the following email address: reikomemories2021@gmail.com. Her family will add these to her biography. For the family and friends who could not attend the service on Friday, July 16, 2021, please visit www.riverpark.online.church/ at 11:00 a.m. for a livestream of the service.