Machiko Yanagawa Henderson, 82, passed away peacefully in the early hours of September 09, 2022, with loving family by her side.

Machiko was born on August 26th, 1940 in Yokohama, Japan. The third of six siblings, her sisters fondly remember her as having boundless energy, the one who could never sit still. In her youth, she loved skiing, sailing, tennis–any sports that were social and got her outside in nature. She also was an avid reader as well as being incredibly creative, enjoying sewing and jewelry-making, and briefly attended art school. Her adventurous spirit eventually inspired her to make a courageous move to the United States in her early 30s to travel and learn English. During this year of adventure, she met her late and former husband, John Henderson, and settled in Washington state permanently. She lived and raised her family for a number of years in rural Eastern Washington before moving back to the Pacific Northwest, living in Olympia and most recently Issaquah and Mercer Island. She loved the mountains and forests of this area very much.

Machiko adored and valued family above all else and was a fiercely loyal mother to her three children, Phoebe, Colette, and Owen. She loved nothing more than sharing a meal with her loved ones and often found her way into people’s hearts through her amazing cooking. Machiko was also a loving Mom to a number of cats throughout her life–the most recent being Chiro (who has found a loving home) and her beloved Bean, who passed away four years ago.

Machiko will be deeply missed by her family and friends. Her radiant smile and sassy sense of humor continue to live on in our memories. Machiko is predeceased by Masao Yanagawa (father), Taeko Yanagawa (mother), and Tsunehiro Yanagawa (brother). She is survived by her children and their partners: Phoebe Henderson and Carl Green (Wellington, New Zealand), Colette Henderson and Drew Tucker (Louisville, Kentucky), and Owen and Jenna Henderson (Boston, Massachusetts), her Japanese family: Tsuruko Yanagawa (sister), Tsunehiro (brother) Yanagawa’s children, Takayoshi (brother) and Michiko (sister in law) Yanagawa and children, Fumiko (sister) and Koichi (brother in law) Suzuki, and Koji (brother) and Masako (sister in law) Yanagawa and children, her American family: Alice (sister in law) and Ron (brother in law) Woods and niece, Mykyn Woods, and finally, many dear friends in the United States and Japan.

We welcome you to post messages, share stories, and photos on this website in Machiko’s memory.  Also, we please request no gifts or flowers.  Instead, please consider donating to the following organisations representing our Mom’s passions and interests:

Seattle Opera: https://www.seattleopera.org/…

SpokAnimal (rescued our mother's cat Chiro): https://spokanimal.org/make-a…

Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Washington: https://www.jcccw.org/donate

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