Martha Kimie Tamaki

Martha Tamaki

1929 - 2025

Martha Tamaki passed away peacefully on July 8th. She was 96 years old.

Born in Harrington, WA, Martha was one of four children born to Kazue (Sam) and Shigeko (Linda) Kubota. Martha spent her childhood years living in a close knit wheat farming town of approximately 600 people where her parents ran the local laundry.

Later, Martha moved to Seattle, WA where she met and married her husband Ted. Following their wedding, they moved to Portland, OR where Martha was a stay-at-home mother raising their two sons. As her sons grew older, Martha worked for the Portland School District before Ted’s job moved them to Sunnyvale, CA.

During her years in Portland, Martha was active in the Oregon Buddhist Temple where she served as a part-time organist. In Sunnyvale, she was a member of the Mountain View Buddhist Temple before moving back to the Pacific Northwest. She was a dedicated member of the Tacoma Buddhist Temple’s Buddhist Women’s Association (BWA) where she formed and cherished many long-lasting friendships with the members until her passing.

Throughout her life, Martha enjoyed spending time with her family. Her four grandchildren brought her great joy and pride. She shared in their adventures and always looked forward to the next time they would spend together. Martha and Ted shared 68 wonderful years together until his passing in the fall of 2024.

Martha was preceded in death by her husband, Ted, and survived by her sons Steve (Michelle) and Craig (Traci) and grandchildren Tyler (Megan), Tana, Alayna, and Tali.

Martha’s memorial service will be held at Tacoma Buddhist Temple (1717 S Fawcett Avenue) on Sunday, August 17th @ 1:30 pm. In lieu of flowers the family requests that donations be made to the Tacoma Buddhist Temple (tacomabt.org) in Martha’s memory.