Mitsu Nasu Hicks, 97, passed away peacefully at home on Tuesday, August 27, 2024. 

Mitsu was born in Kumamoto City, Kumamoto Ken, Japan on June 25, 1927.  Her father, Shigeki Nasu, was a wholesale and retail green tea merchant.  Her mother, Kikue (Teshima) Nasu was a stay at home mother.  Mitsu was the oldest of seven children.  Her siblings include 3 brothers:  Yoshio Nasu, Sogo Nasu, and Akio Nasu; and 3 sisters:  Nobuko Uchida, Tomiko Wright, and Yoko Babb. Her two surviving siblings, Yoshio (with his wife, Masumi) and Nobuko still live in Kumamoto.  Yuichi Uchida was predeceased by his wife Nobuko. 

Having a happy, normal childhood in Japan involved going to school at the Girls’ Commercial School where Mitsu was schooled in business courses.  However, when she was only 14, her world changed when the US and Japan became involved in battle that continued all through her teen years.  After her graduation (incidentally with very high grades), she worked in several bookkeeping and sales jobs.  In 1952, Mitsu’s aunt introduced her to a United States Army service man named Daniel Stanley Hicks.  Mitsu was 25 yers of age by this time, and the circumstances of WWII had left very few men of her age who were marriageable.  The relationship between Daniel and Mitsu grew steadily; Daniel’s attentiveness, his sweet kind ways and his frequent gift giving, soon endeared him to her heart.  They were married in Tokyo and by 1956, Mitsu found herself the mother of two little ones (James Hicks and Frances Bolaris), and in Junction City, with Daniel stationed at Fort Riley.  In 1957, Mitsu gave birth to twin daughters (Laura Hicks and Lili Englebrick) born five minutes apart and setting an army hospital record of weighing about 9 pounds a piece.  The family made Junction City their home even though at times Daniel had tours of duty elsewhere and Mitsu did an excellent job of “Americanizing” herself.  Mitsu was most proud of being naturalized as a U. S. Citizen on June 8, 1955.  The family became members of the Presbyterian Church in early 1962 and Mitsu continued to be a member until she moved to Kansas City.  

Mitsu was a stay at home mom for many years but later in life worked in the school cafeteria and became a Cafeteria Manager in the Junction City School District (Geary County Unified School District 475).  Sadly after 34 years of a happy marriage, Daniel died in 1987 and around 2001 she moved to Kansas City where she lived with her daughter, Lili Englebrick, and son-in-law, Larry Englebrick, for over 20 years in Kansas City, Kansas, Lenexa, and in their current home in Gardner.  

Mitsu had a kind heart, a gentle soul, and you never ever heard her complain about anything.  She always had a big smile on her face and was always willing to give to others.  Mitsu loved to travel with her daughters, Lili and Laura, and son-in-law, Larry, to places like Alaska, Australia, Bahamas, California (Disney Land), Costa Rica, Florida (Disney World), Georgia (Atlanta), Hawaii (Maui, Oahu, and Kauai), Japan, Nevada (Las Vegas and Reno), Mexico (Cabo San Lucas, San Jose del Cabo, Cancun, and Puerto Vallarta), North Carolina (Asheville), Ohio, Toronto, and Washington DC. She also enjoyed going camping/glamping with them in Branson, Missouri, and Texas as well.

Mitsu enjoyed antique shopping, going to estate sales, and collecting figurines (Colonial figurines, Occupied Japan figurines and anything that had pictures of Iris flowers on them).  She even liked collecting Trolls.  Mitsu also enjoyed crocheting—she always made her daughters, Lili and Laura, hundreds of crocheted Snowflake Christmas ornaments (a different design every year) that they gave to their friends, family, and co-workers during the holiday season.  Mitsu loved to cook and she was known for her home-made peanut brittle that she made every Christmas.  She enjoyed knitting, walking (walking on the treadmill everyday), gardening (loved planting vegetables and flowers, especially Iris’), and she enjoyed watching Japanese TV.  She enjoyed listening to old time Japanese music always racing up to her room on Tuesday nights to watch the music programs.  As a way to express her inner artistic abilities and to relieve stress, Mitsu loved adult coloring books and word searches. 

Mitsu is survived by her son James Hicks of Meadows of Dan, Virginia, her eldest daughter Frances Bolaris of Minden, Nevada, her twin daughters Laura Hicks and Lili Englebrick of Gardner, Kansas, nine grandchildren Christine Alonso, Angela Bolaris,  Mike Bolaris, Jeff Bolaris, Nicole Bolaris Howard, Inick Howard, Todd Valle, Tara Brown Burton, and Alec Hunt; and 15 great grandchildren Kindrick, Amelia, John, Azlyn, Izabella, Jackson, Sage, Kai, Sophie, Kennan, Alexandria, Jaxon, Carlynne, Penelope, and Madisyn; two nephews, Masayosh Nasu, Sou Uchida and four nieces, Masayo Harada, Ayumi Uchida, Kathy Babb, and Carol Babb.

Mitsu Hicks lived a really long, good full life.  She leaves behind many family members and friends who love her dearly and she will be missed by all those who knew her.  May she rest in peace.  

Visitation will be at 3:00 p.m. with a Memorial Service at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday, September 5, at the Porter Funeral Home, 8535 Monrovia, Lenexa, KS 66215.  The burial will take place at the Fort Riley Cemetery Friday, September 6, 2024, at 1:00 p.m. 

The family would like to thank the Advanced Home Health and Hospice of Kansas City and their staff for the tremendous care they provided in her final days.