Susie Ishikawa Sato, 98, passed away on September 7, 2015. She was a longtime proponent of Mesa and Arizona history with the Arizona Historical Foundation, Mesa Historical Society, Mesa History Museum, and Mesa Public Library History Room. She was Mesa's first Pride In Mesa recipient in 1998 for her lifelong efforts to preserve the history and legacy of Mesa. Susie is preceded in death by her husband, Carl, a brother and three sisters. She is survived by three children, 11 grandchildren, 8 great-grandchildren, two sisters and numerous nieces and nephews. Funeral services will be Saturday, September 26, 2015 at 11 AM at Bunker's Garden Chapel, 33 N. Centennial Way, Mesa, AZ. No flowers please. Donations will be forwarded to organizations of Susie's interest. 

Following are excerpts about Susie’s connection with ASU that was supplied by Dr. Christine Marin,  Professor Emeritus, Department of Archives & Special Collections at Hayden Library.

“It was in the early 1970s when I met Susie & her colleagues/staff members at the department known as the Arizona Historical Foundation, established by 1964-65 and located in the Hayden Library at ASU in Tempe. Susie was a Library Assistant supervising student assistants and staff members. She also served as a Reference assistant, teaching patrons and students how to use and work with primary/secondary sources/archival materials, which were essential to their research and writings. Susie had an extensive knowledge of local-area history, the history of Arizona, the history of the Japanese community in Maricopa County, and the history of Mesa. The Reading Room in the AHF was the student’s home-away-from-home & Susie nurtured every one of those students, made them successful in the classroom. Today, they’re seasoned Professors, important Scholars & teachers and writers, with many perhaps retired too. Susie Sato was their link to academic success. Susie was pursuing a degree in History at ASU and was a serious scholar and writer, and a part-time student. Her article, “Before Pearl Harbor: Early Japanese Settlers in Arizona”, was published in the Journal of Arizona History, Vol. 14, No. 4, Winter, 1973. It was a major and path-breaking article on a topic that had received little attention by Arizona scholars and it remains important today.” (Source: Arizona Republic and Dr. Christine Marin,  Professor Emeritus, Department of Archives & Special Collections, Hayden Library)