It is with heavy hearts that the family of Ayako Fujikawa announces her passing on March 22, 2017.  She was 94 years old and lived a long and fruitful life.  Born in Los Angeles to Chito and Eijiro Nishimura, who emigrated from Japan, Aya was the eldest of four siblings that included brothers Sakae, Minoru and Tamotsu.  During World War II, Aya and her family were incarcerated in one of the U.S. government’s internment camps located in Heart Mountain, Wyoming, and were among more than 100,000 persons of Japanese ancestry who lost their liberty and property, but not their dignity.  After the war, Aya lived for a time in New York City, where she worked for one of the founders of the Diners Club, an early form of charge card.  Aya regaled her family with stories of the excitement of living in New York.  Aya returned to Los Angeles and married Nobus Fujikawa, and the two of them opened The Galley, a popular café near Los Angeles International Airport that they operated with Nobus’s brother for more than 30 years.  Although the café was located in the City of Westchester, they were unable to purchase a home there, so Aya and Nobus bought a house in a nearby unincorporated area across from a cow pasture – in what is now Marina Del Rey.  When asked if she ever felt bitter about the events related to the war, Aya said no, because she learned from her parents that “if one lived with bitterness over what happened yesterday, all the blessings of today would be missed.”  After retirement, and following Nobus’s death in 1998, Aya spent her time studying Ikebana, the art of Japanese flower arrangement, sewing and crocheting blankets, and cooking.  Ever the social butterfly, Aya loved visiting her family and going out with her friends, and the family thanks each of you for loving Aya with such kindness and compassion.  Life took a turn for the worse after Aya suffered a stroke last year.  Aya is now at peace.