Edelweiss Flower Boutique & Flower Delivery

07/11/2023

06/18/2023

We will be closed on June 24th for the Service of Tomoko Hayakawa Seiji

06/18/2023

TOMOKO HAYAKAWA SEIJI

Tomoko Hayakawa Seiji, was born March 1, 1933 in Kofu, Yamanashi, Japan and passed May 23, 2023 in Santa Monica, CA having reached 90 years of age.
She worked with her daughter and our florist family at Edelweiss Flower Boutique, Santa Monica, CA for over 30 years.

Her Celebration of Life Service will be held on June 24, 2023 at 1:00 pm at First United Methodist Church – Santa Monica, 1008 11th Street, Santa Monica, CA 90403, officiated by her longtime friend Rev. Dorothy Bimber Worley. Reception to follow.

The daughter of father Eiichi Hayakawa and mother Sada Hayakawa, Tomoko was the youngest with one older sister Keiko Tsuchiya and one older brother Yoshinori Hayakawa. Born into a family from a centuries-long line of Merchants, her family-owned and operated theaters, sake/liquor distributors, wholesale houses of salt, rice and sake warehouses and later local department stores—she grew up working as a bookkeeper in the family businesses. Unusual for most of us, today family members can walk through the Buddhist monk-maintained cemeteries and trace nearly 500 years of their ancestors.

Her birth mother Sada died 2 years after Tomoko was born from tuberculosis, wherein Eiichi remarried to Yasuko Hayakawa. Tomoko’s new step mother was the only real Mother she ever knew.

Tomoko attended the highly acclaimed and respected educational institution the Yamanashi Eiwa Gakuin Girl School established 1889 by Canadian Methodist Missionaries. This school was the first female education institution in the area and the only Christian school whose stated purpose was to provide young ladies with the same high-quality education and opportunities as young men, something which was unique in Japan at the time.

At about age 11, World War II took its vicious toll on her family. The family’s businesses and assets were lost, first by allied bombings and later by the American Occupation and devaluation of the Yen. Tomoko happened to be outdoors when an Allied bomb exploded, causing na**lm to embed into her leg. It was a painful wound that would never completely heal—for the rest of her life at approximately every 10-12 years she would have to submit to painful surgical skin grafts in order to ease the oozing wound.

After high school young Tomoko worked as a hair stylist, as her ability to speak English allowed her to work in top-notch salons. An independent spirit, she chose to avoid a possible arranged marriage so she traveled to Tokyo and became a bookkeeper at the US Air Force Yokota Air Base where she met a young career American Airman Charles N. Seiji. On their first date Tomoko said that she fell in love with Charles when she saw him waiting for her at the train station dressed in an all-white suit holding a bouquet of flowers. A former chorus singer, he later serenaded her with Elvis Presley songs, with “Love Me Tender” being their favorite. They married December 22, 1960 in Tokyo and enjoyed 55 years of marriage until Charles passed in an auto accident on October 30, 2015 in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Besides being an incredible mother and wife, she was highly talented in the arts. She acted in high-school plays and was editor of the school newspaper. She loved painting, knitting, cross stitching and was an amazing seamstress. She made from scratch her daughters’ prom and wedding dresses, as well as their dresses during elementary school. An avid reader, she loved reading and always had a book wherever she went. Whenever she visited Japan, she would bring back hundreds of books, filing her suitcases. Most of her life Tomoko was self-employed as an artist painting hand-made Christmas ornaments and as a commercial seamstress and a florist for over 30 years. As a military wife, she and the family would have to rely on each other and learn how to stretch a dollar while Charles served during the Vietnam War.

She loved to share her Japanese traditions with others. Every New Year’s she would
make hundreds of mochi cakes. This was for good luck in the New Year. Most were given away to friends and family members who would anxiously wait for their once-a-year treat which came in plain, red bean and Reese’s peanut butter cup mochi cakes. She created her Japanese food with love and always shared with anyone around her.

On adventures with her children in Las Vegas (one of her favorite playgrounds) Tomoko always woke-up early in the morning so she could make snacks for the trip. They were always the family’s favorites.

Tomoko was always thinking of others and brought gifts to give away whenever she traveled, known in Japan as “omiyage”. Even in her last days she wanted to give her grandchildren keepsakes of her life. She was always thinking of others and of passing on her legacy.

Tomoko’s two siblings passed prior to her death but they are reunited now.
She is survived by her four daughters: Elizabeth Seiji, Charlotte Frey, Annette Yonemitsu, Diane Seiji and one son Douglass Seiji,

She has five grandchildren: Kristina Frey, Taylor Yonemitsu, Michael Frey, Chloe Yonemitsu and Kassandra Frey. Four great grandchildren, Bruce, Kira, Emma and Camille.

Her final resting place will be at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (the Military Cemetery known as Punchbowl, which is in the caldera of a dormant volcano) in Honolulu, Hawaii on September 2, 2023 at 1:00 pm for her final farewell service where she will be placed to rest beside her husband Charles. September 2nd is Charles’ birthday, so it would be fitting for their celebration to finally being together again.

08/29/2022

Celebrate an upcoming Anniversary in style with a stunning bouquet from Edelweiss Flower Boutique!

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08/26/2022

🐕‍🦴Celebrate National Dog Day with a treat and flowers for your best friend. Make them feel extra "bootiful" & loved on this special holiday!🦴🐕

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08/15/2022

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08/13/2022

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08/11/2022

Happy Son & Daughter day celebrate with the kiddos before school starts.

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08/10/2022

Tomorrow is Son & Daughter day so to all those parents out there celebrate your kids with a beautiful arrangement.

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08/08/2022

🌹No matter the occasion, bithdays, anniversary, holidays or just because... Roses always make the perect gift🌹

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Send with a little love with a beautiful bouquet.

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08/03/2022

🎁🎂💐Celerbrate all those August birthdays with the one gift that everyone loves.💐🎂🎁

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08/01/2022

When simplistic look is just the perfect touch...

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07/28/2022

Grab someones attention with a stunning summer bouquet.

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07/26/2022

Whats better than sunshine.... bring some sunshine in to someones life with this bright & beautiful bouquet.

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07/24/2022

Celerbrate Your Loving Parents Today!

07/22/2022

Don't just say how you feel, show it.... what better way than with flowers.

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07/20/2022

Whats better than a beautiful summer day and a fresh summer bouquet....

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07/18/2022

Stumped on the perfect birthday gift for the person that has everything? Pick a stunning arrangement that guaranteed to put a smile on their face!

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07/15/2022

Grab her attention with something impressive!

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07/13/2022

When the best and freshest are the only option!

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07/11/2022

💐🎂Calling all July birthdays.... what better way to celerbrate then with flowers & cake!🎂💐

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07/07/2022

Happy World Chocolate Day celerbrate with some flowers and chocolate!

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07/06/2022

Would this put a smile on your face? Send a beautiful bouquet today and brighten up someones week!

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07/04/2022

🇺🇸🇺🇸Happy 4th of July & Happy Independence Day🇺🇸🇺🇸

07/01/2022

Happy International Joke day from Edelweiss Flower Boutique