Susan M. Monchil's Obituary
Susan Miyauchi Monchil I was born on July 21, 1927 in Tokyo, Japan. My father was a lawyer and local politician. My mother was a society lady well known for her beauty. I was the oldest of five children. I had two sisters and two brothers. I went to a private school for girls that was attended by the daughters of some of the most famous people in Japan. I was well versed in literature and poetry influenced by my father who wrote poetry. Some of my work was published in newspapers. It was a happy idyllic life; then came the war. After we lost two homes to fire bombs, my father sent all the children to Shikoku, the next island south, to live with his brother, a landowner. Being the oldest, I was in charge of all the children. We had a quiet country life for two years until the war ended. There was no school so we all missed the two years of school. I remember the emperor’s speech that the war ended. We were all excited to go home to Tokyo with all its sophistication and activity to reunite with mother and father and return to school. The Imperial Hotel in Tokyo was known for its elegance. I met Lt. Donald Monchil who was there with one of his Air Force friends. A friend and I went on a double date with them. Don was dashing in his Air Force blue uniform with silver wings. We decide to get married after dating for a year. Don made an application to marry me and the Air Force made it difficult with enumerable investigations and paperwork. After several trips to the Air Base, attending counseling and with the help of my uncle, who was a powerful lawyer, the application was approved just as Don had to leave for the States. We were married at the US Consulate July 21,1954. Don fooled me by picking the date of my birthday. I caught up with Don in Green Bay, WI. He resigned from the Air Force in May 1955 and had to find a job. The Boeing Co. offered Don a job which he accepted and we packed the car, put our puppy in the back seat and headed for Seattle. I was pregnant so it was a hard trip for me. Our son, Allen James, was born January 31, 1959 in the old Renton hospital. We bought an old house near the Seatac airport and settled in to civilian life. I don’t like moving. I was a little upset when Boeing sent us to Tulsa, OK to work with American after two years in Seattle. I really liked Tulsa because the people were so nice. I joined the Republican party there and worked in the party for fifty years. As we moved around I was active in the party everywhere we went except Germany and made wonderful friends around the country. We were on the move for twenty years in the US and Europe. I was in charge of all the moving details, finding places to live, schools, church, doctors etc. It was a challenge when I was young, but I was glad when it ended with our move back to Seattle. I had many positions in the Republican party and ended being a Regent and member of the NFRW. I attended several inaugurations and was a frequent visitor to the White House. I had a long interesting life with my husband and my son. This was written by Susan some years ago when we were doing our estate planning. Please check back for more details about Susan’s Memorial. If you wish to honor Susan, please give to an Alzheimers or childrens hospital charity or The Humane Society. Thank you. Don Monchil.
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