Mary Ann Ritsuko Nishisaka was born on November 10, 1960 in Los Angeles, California, the fourth and youngest child of Art and Yuri Nishisaka. She was sister to Randy, Merrie, and Scott, and lived in Gardena, California until 2004 when she moved to Huntington Beach, California. She attended Amestoy Elementary, Peary Junior High School, Gardena High School, and received her Bachelor of Arts degree from California State University Dominguez Hills.
Following graduation from college, Mary Ann went to work in June of 1984 for TRW, which later became Northrop Grumman. She began in Accounts Payable on the Major Subcontracts desk and worked her way up to become a Manager of Major Subcontracts. She worked on the Chandra Telescope. She even got to witness the launch of the Chandra Telescope in person. Mary Ann was currently working on the James Webb Space Telescope set to launch in a couple of years. She would have loved to see the JWST launch too. She just celebrated her 35th Anniversary with the company in June of 2019.
Mary Ann was an incredible person. She loved and supported her family. Her hard work, caring nature, humor, and love of life are some of the many traits that characterized this amazing woman.
Mary Ann loved all things Disney. She had a collection that would be the envy of any collector. She also loved going to all the Disney properties. It was her Happiest place on earth. In May of 2019, she went to Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo Disney Sea for the third time!
One of Mary Ann’s passions was her love of travel. She traveled to Florida (Walt Disney World) and Hawaii frequently. She also traveled to Japan, Hong Kong, England, Canada, and many of the other 50 states. She loved exploring new places and experiencing their culture and foods.
Another of Mary Ann’s passions was rubber stamping. She loved watching You Tube videos to learn new techniques. She also attended conventions and rubber stamp workshops. She liked to have the latest equipment and materials and loved trying all the newest methods to create cards. She was truly an artistic person.
Mary Ann had the biggest heart. She loved her family, especially her nephews, Brent and Mark; her nieces, Kylie and Morgan; and her great-nephews and niece, Brandon, Ryan, and Ava. She always made sure her mother, Yuri, was well taken care of. Mary Ann was always there for everyone, especially her family. She reached out to see how everyone was. She would always ask if anyone needed anything and would never hesitate to help.
Mary Ann’s life touched so many people, and we will always use and remember the lessons she taught us throughout the years: work hard, be kind to others, and most importantly to have fun. Her humor, kindness, and selflessness will continue to inspire those who were lucky enough to know her and be loved by her.
Mary Ann said that when she passed, she wanted her ashes shot up into space. We are honoring her wishes.
