Tribute

Yoshiko grew up in St. Louis County, MO, and attended The College School K-6, Wydown Middle School, and Clayton High School. She graduated from Rice University with a degree in Sociology, which brought her to Houston, TX where she met Ed Draper, her husband of 20 years. Together, they made a family with the best dogs in Texas including Winnie, Daisy, Trixie, and Gertie & Ralphie who remained by Yoshi’s side until the end. Throughout her life, Yoshi was many things -- an avid reader, a gifted puzzle-solver, an easy-going traveler, a temporarily-tattooed woman, a baker of addictive banana bread, a practical homemaker, a not-pushy vegan, a talented sewist, and notably a friend and protector to animals of all kinds. She volunteered at Operation Pets Alive where she and Ed fostered and helped adopt many cats and dogs. Yoshi cared about things deeply but quietly. She was not someone who sought attention, but she paid attention to everyone she met. She asked questions, listened carefully, and had a fantastic memory for detail, often to the consternation of her husband. She received the diagnosis of stage IV cancer with more equanimity than the disease deserves, and throughout years of treatment, focused as much time and energy as possible on what she valued most – friends, family, animals, and chocolate. She didn’t ask for this tribute, she may have cringed at the thought of it, but if she knew how much it meant to the people she loved, she would put up with it for our sakes. Everyone who cared about her hopes she knew how deeply she was loved, and how profoundly she will be missed.

Friends & Family

Ed Draper, Maggie Daily, Keiko Ishida, Tim and Sandy Daily, Jim Daily, Patti Carr, Jessica Peirce, Kerri Duncan, Tony Leong