Katherine Yoshiko Upton (nee Fukuhara)

March 22, 2023
In loving memory ~
Katherine Yoshiko Upton (nee Fukuhara) was born in Salmon Arm, B.C. in 1942, and died in Vernon, B.C. on March 22, 2023. Kathy - known as "Yoche" to her family - grew up in Chase B.C., after her Japanese-Canadian parents were forcibly displaced from Vancouver. Kathy attended school in Chase and Kamloops and later completed a bachelor's degree at UBC.
At university, she met Terry Upton, her future husband. After marriage, Kathy taught art in high schools, initially in Dawson Creek, then in Victoria and Vancouver. On the coast, the couple developed a passion for sailing and purchased their first boat, Monashee. Eventually, they built a 45-foot ferro-cement yacht, Spellbinder. Kathy gave birth to Sian around this time, and the family lived aboard Spellbinder in False Creek.
In 1979, the family left Vancouver and sailed down the coast of the USA to Mexico, then across to French Polynesia, the Cook Islands, Tonga, New Zealand, Fiji, New Caledonia, Australia, Vanuatu, and Papua New Guinea. Kathy was a talented artist and kept a visual record of all that she saw. During five years in Lae, Papua New Guinea, Kathy taught at the international high school and the University of Technology, all while continuing to paint and draw. In 1988, the family returned to B.C., where Kathy immersed herself in art, and taught for several years at Heritage Park Secondary School in Mission. In 2003, Kathy and Terry retired to Vernon, where they renovated their house and continued to travel widely, both overseas and by road across North America. Kathy was involved in several Okanagan arts groups and participated in numerous exhibitions.
She enjoyed attending gym classes at the Vernon Rec Centre, gardening, and walking her dog Skye every day. Kathy was quietly adventurous, determined, intelligent, observant, resourceful, kind, and wise. She inspired openness and creativity in her students. Those who knew her were enriched by the experience. Even while facing cancer, she maintained her inquiring and indomitable spirit. Thank you to the staff of the North Okanagan Hospice for caring for Kathy in her last weeks. Kathy was predeceased by Terry and by her parents Fumiko and Kisaburo Fukuhara. She will be deeply missed by her family and friends. Her spirit has returned to the universe.
A Celebration of Kathy's Life will be held at Bethel Funeral Chapel in Vernon, on Saturday, April 1st, 2023, at 2:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the North Okanagan Hospice Society. Email messages to the family may be sent to bethelchapel@uniserve.com
Funeral arrangements have been made with:
BETHEL FUNERAL CHAPEL LTD.,
5605 27th Street, Vernon, B.C. V1T 8Z5
(250) 542-1187