Evelyn Yoshihara

Evelyn was born on April 25, 1937 in Puhi, Hawaii to Keiichi and Oshina Kodama.

Growing up in Hawaii, life was good. Evelyn was the youngest of 7 children - all girls and one boy. She talks of eating fruit from the trees in her yard, swimming in the salty ocean and having a happy beginning.

Her high school years were full of dances and social activities. She was a talented seamstress and sewed many gowns. She would ask for fabric for her birthday and to the delight of her friends would give them her gowns as she created new ones. Evelyn was always dressed beautifully and her dance card was always full.

Education was very important to the Kodama family. Coming from modest means, the oldest daughter Amy was fortunate to have help from (as Evelyn describes) "wealthy spinster sisters". They loaned Amy the money to go to school and when Amy was able to pay them back, they said they needed no payback - just to help someone else get their education. So, the education legacy continued as each sister helped the next go to college. Evelyn graduated from Colorado State College in 1959 with a degree in Elementary Education. While in college s...[more]

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was active in the Hawaiian Club and a member of the Delta Zeta sorority.

The new graduate married Gene Yoshihara on June 6, 1959. She taught 3rd grade in Broomfield, Colorado but quickly had to leave her career to help in the family business, Lafayette Florist. Although she only taught briefly, her students came and visited her throughout the years.

Evelyn and Gene worked hard those first years building a business. For seven years, there were no days off and she could not visit Hawaii. They built a home above the floral shop and raised a family. While Gene became very active in the community, helping create the Lafayette Chamber of Commerce, serving on the Lafayette City Council and Bank One Board of Directors - Evelyn raised the family, grew the floral business and served on the Boulder Community Hospital Board. Gene and Evelyn were inducted into the Colorado Floriculture Hall of Fame for their contributions to the industry.

Evelyn was a talented floral designer, teaching many her craft throughout the years including her daughter Sandi. She built a beautiful floral shop and went to Dallas twice a year to fill it with exciting merchandise. Lafayette Florist & Greenhouses became the anchor business in town and the premiere florist in the region.

With a passion for golf, Evelyn and Gene along with their dearest friends Ken and June Tagawa, traveled the country playing through their travels. She also enjoyed meeting her Hawaii family in Las Vegas for slots and "talking stories".

Building a loving family was another trait of Evelyn's. Her family includes daughter Lori and son-in-law Brian with grandson Tanner and wife Kayla, the middle daughter Sandi, her partner Todd and children Leilani and Jackson and the youngest son Colin with his wife Adrienne and twin children Isla and Keller. Her strong relationship with her grandchildren was the joy of her life.

The last chapter of Evelyn's life showed her bravery and strength. After losing her husband in 2016, she fought cancer courageously for over a year. In her 80 years, she was a fun-loving, caring person who was a sweet sister, a hard-working mother and wife, an amazing grandmother and a friend to so many.

Time with our loved ones is never enough - we are always wanting more. Our love for Evelyn will go on and we will carry her with us every day.

A Celebration of Life will be held during the first week of January 2018. Please check back for event details, which will be posted shortly.
To read the full obituary, please click here: http://www.ahlbergfuneralchapel.com/book-of-memories/3368069/Yoshihara-Evelyn/obituary.php