Takeshi was born in Tokyo, Japan and came to United States in 1977, at the age of 14. A self-proclaimed “cat lover”, Mariko is the proud adopted parent of lovely cats. In her spare time, Mariko is a devotee of movies and NBA games, and enjoys playing tennis with her friends. Mariko looks forward to her yearly visits with her family in Tokyo, and enjoys spending her vacations at the various onsens (hot spring resorts) all over Japan. Mariko believes that a funeral service is universally one of the most important and sacred rituals of life, and she is committed to providing the best of care and guidance to families in their time of need. With the support and blessing of her father, who she always considered to be a source of motivation and inspiration throughout her life, Mariko attended Cypress College achieving a degree in Mortuary Science in 2007. After attending a relative’s memorial service, Mariko realized that the funeral ritual gave great comfort and closure to her family in their time of sorrow and loss. Mariko Gardner was born and raised in Tokyo, Japan. Married and a mother of two boys, her oldest son, Eric joined the Fukui Family Staff as a Funeral Director and Family Counselor since 2003. Her community work is with various Japanese American veteran organizations including the Military Intelligence Service Association of Southern California (1981-2015), the National Japanese American Veterans Council (2004 - 2014) the Go For Broke National Education Center (1997-present) the Nisei Veterans Coordinating Council (2011-Present) the Grateful Crane Ensemble (2016-Present). In addition to being Secretary and Treasurer of Fukui Mortuary, she is also licensed as a Funeral Director and Preneed Counselor. She has continued her father, Soichi's, legacy since his early death in 1981 with brother Gerald and sister Christine. Occupation of Japan post WWII, she graduated from UCLA with a BA in French in 1972 and studied the Japanese language/culture in Japan from 1974-1975. Catherine Tanaka Sec/Treas, Lic Funeral Director, Preneed Counselorīorn in Tokyo during the U.S.