Shizuko O. Mcghee

Shizuko Orii McGhee, of Bel Air Maryland, passed away peacefully on May 13, 2022, surrounded by her loving family.  She was 99. 

Shizuko McGhee, (who was known to her American friends as ‘Sue’) was born to Ryuhiei and Yoshi Watanabe in Tokyo, on January 16, 1923.  Early in her life she was beloved by both her parents and her mother’s brother, Chuzo Orii.  The families agreed that Shizuko could be adopted by Chuzo and Ine Ori who had only one daughter and wanted a larger family.  The two households spent many happy times together and Shizuko was surrounded by love.  She did not learn that she had been adopted until she was an adult.

Shizuko attended Aoyama Gakuin High School and the prestigious Tsuda College, graduating early with a degree in English.  During World War II, the Orii family lost their home to bombing-related fires and  Shizuko lamented the loss of all her cherished childhood photographs.  After the War, due to her knowledge of English, Shizuko found work at the US Government Central Purchasing Office, and, later with the 441 Counter Intelligence Corps Detachment of the Far East Command. 

Shizuko’s family had arranged an engagement for her with a Japanese professor.  While working for the Far East Command, however, she met and fell in love with a handsome young American soldier named Lincoln McGhee.   The couple was married on February 6, 1951.  Their first son, Lincoln Hideki McGhee, was born in Tokyo.  When the baby was three months old the couple sailed to Seattle, Washington and then drove to Lincoln’s home state of Tennessee to begin their American adventure.  During the next two decades the family would live in Houston and San Antonio, Texas; Falls Church, Virginia; Chicago, Illinois; Heidelberg, Germany and Gessen Germany, finally settling in Aberdeen Maryland.  A second son, Lawrence Eugene McGhee, was born in 1953. 

Shizuko McGhee worked tirelessly alongside her husband to raise their two sons and establish themselves in Aberdeen.  The couple invested in rental houses and worked together to rehabilitate and manage them.   In later years Shizuko was able to indulge her passions.  She loved music, particularly the Opera.  She enjoyed and excelled at painting, pottery making, stained glass creation, sewing and needlework.  She found a wonderful group of Japanese women living in and around Aberdeen and this circle of friends celebrated birthdays, attended cultural events, traveled together and enriched each other’s lives in myriad ways.  For a time, Shizuko and other friends, preformed traditional Japanese dances at various events, including the National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington DC.

Shizuko and Lincoln purchased several recreational vehicles and roamed from Alaska to Costa Rica, relishing the amazing landscapes they visited. 

Shizuko cherished her grandchildren and enjoyed sewing dresses and kimonos for her granddaughters Tracy, Allison. Claire and fishing with her grandson Ian.

Shizuko is survived by Lincoln and Linda McGhee of Auburn Hills, Michigan, and their daughters, Tracy Hopkins, Allison Jimenez and Claire McGhee, as well as Lawrence and Debra McGhee of Crownsville, Maryland and their son Ian McGhee.  Shizuko is also survived by three great grandchildren, Adriana and Aiden Jimenez and Chloe Hopkins.  Shizuko was preceded in death by her husband, Lincoln McGhee, and grandson, Noah Katz.

 There will be Livestreaming available 20 minutes prior to the service!