Marie Eilleen (McCusker) Kiyoi
1945 – 2020
Marie Kiyoi, beloved mother, grandmother, sister, and aunt passed away January 9, 2020, at Kaiser Permanente Hospital in Modesto. She was born in Mercy Hospital in Des Moines, Iowa, on February 17, 1945, the daughter of the late Lewis J. McCusker and Doris Bertram Owen McCusker and the fifth of six children. The family moved to the Modesto area in 1952, and she graduated from Modesto High School in 1963. Neither of Marie’s parents had high school degrees, but they made sure all of their kids graduated from high school. Four of those kids then went on to earn BA degrees, and three, including Marie, earned Masters degrees.
She married the love of her life and high school sweetheart, Terry Kiyoi, January 27, 1968; he predeceased her in 2004. They settled in Martinez and raised four boys, Kevin, Matthew, Jonathon and Jeffrey, who cared well for her once their dad died. Marie later used her nursing degree to work in emergency rooms in Martinez; managed outpatient quality and regulatory compliance; and educated the nursing and medical communities through continuing education courses such as ACLS, BLS and PALS.
Marie moved to Manteca in 2016 where she lived a robust and happy retirement, surrounded by her sister, friends new and old, and her Owens cousins. She died with her family present and telling her how much they loved her on January 9, 2020. The family is grateful to the Kaiser staff for their outstanding care of Marie and her family in those last difficult days.
Besides her parents and her husband, she was predeceased by four of her siblings: Norman, Sister Mary Peter (Lois Jean), Bob and Tony.
Marie is survived by her four sons: Kevin (Sarah), Matthew, Jonathon (Brittain), and Jeffrey (Rita). She is survived, too, by her seven beloved grandchildren: Kris, Breanna, and Miles Kiyoi; Josh and Alex Kiyoi and their mom, Tina; and Malcolm and Lily Kiyoi. She is also survived by her sister, Nancy McCusker Horio. Nieces and nephews will mourn her loss including Norman’s kids, Doris, Johanna, and Patty; Bob’s kids, Kristine Marie, Kelly and Kathy; Tony’s kids, Patrick and Tracy; and Nancy’s son, Jaime. Her brother in law Mike Kiyoi(Suki) and their kids Kristi, Erik, and Kari; and Sister in law Patti Kiyoi Yoshida (Hugh) and their kids Leslie, David and Traci.
A Celebration of Life will be held March 22, 2020, from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.
at the Del Webb Senior Community Clubhouse, 2401 Morning Brook Drive
Manteca, CA 95336
In lieu of flowers, please make a donation in Marie and Terry’s names to the Alzheimer’s Association at https://act.alz.org/Donate
