Obituary of Mikiko Masterson

On September 28th my beautiful wife Miki passed away. Born and raised in Japan, Miki and I met in Tokyo shortly after I moved there in 1999. For many years we celebrated the 29th day of each month as the “monthly anniversary” of our first date together on April 29, 1999. At each of these monthly events we would exchange handwritten cards—mine written in Japanese and hers written in English—to both sharpen our respective language skills and to sketch pictures of our future dreams together. We got married in Tokyo on New Year’s Day 2001, and within weeks we moved to the United Stated to start a new life together. We settled in Dalton, Massachusetts, and shortly thereafter we welcomed our puppy Koro into our new family. Miki and Koro were inseparable, going for daily hikes in the Berkshires and bringing me coffee at my office each day. In late 2002 we moved back to Japan for three years where our daughter was born before finally moving back to the United States on Christmas Day in 2005. During the 18 years since we first met, we discovered many of our favorite things together, including our love of the outdoors and the performing arts. We were patrons of the Saratoga Performing Arts Center where we enjoyed the orchestra and ballet, and we also enjoyed annual trips to see the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. But over the years it was Miki’s love of painting that became the defining aspect of her passion for the arts. She learned calligraphy at an early age, but was later inspired to explore a broader range of artistic techniques after becoming exposed to Japanese masterpieces, and through her travels in Southeast Asia. She studied traditional Japanese brush painting with Japanese master artist Hiroshi Yasuda in Tokyo, and in the United States she studied mixed media art at the Interlaken Art School in Lenox, Massachusetts. More recently, she had been painting watercolor and Japanese ink brush at our home in Clifton Park. Her work has been displayed at several exhibits, and in 2015 she was recognized as the 1st prize winner for a watercolor painting at the Clifton Park Library’s annual jury art show. But of all of her artistic accomplishments, she was most proud and grateful to have had the opportunity to teach mixed media and Japanese ink art techniques to children during school breaks at the Saratoga Art Center. She put countless hours and all of her heart into preparing for these classes, and took great satisfaction in knowing that she had contributed to passing along her love of the arts to the next generation. Miki was a dedicated and loving wife and mother. She used the time she had at home to raise our daughter in the best possible way, always waiting for her to come home from school or summer camp each day to offer a healthy snack and an opportunity for mother-daughter adventures, whether it was swimming in the Clifton Park town pool, visiting Bowman’s Orchard, riding their bikes to feed the ducks at Hannaford, or any variety of other activities. When I arrived home later, she treated me to exquisitely prepared meals that gradually shifted my tastes toward the healthy, organic eating habits that Miki embraced. She was equally committed to caring for our beloved dog Koro, who we raised from a puppy for 14 years until he passed away last year. Miki is survived by her husband Tom, her daughter Rhona, and her parents who still live in Japan. Words will never be able to describe the tremendous loss we feel as we learn to live our lives without having this gentle, caring person here to share it with us. In the last few months of her life, she battled depression—a condition she was reluctant to share with her family or friends. She ultimately lost the battle, and this will forever be our loss. We pray that she finds peace until our time comes to be reunited with her in heaven. There will be a gathering at our house in Clifton Park on Tuesday, October 4th from 5:00pm until 8:00pm to celebrate Miki’s life and artwork. Family and Miki’s close friends are welcome. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the Saratoga Arts Center (http://www.saratoga-arts.org), where Miki loved to share her knowledge and passion for art with the children that she taught at this wonderful institution.