Alisa Noda - Online Memorial Website

Our last fond memory of Alisa was her speech at the Nikkei Fundraising Dinner on June 9th; when she greeted everyone in Japanese and then chuckled and admitted that that was about the extent of her Japanese language skills.  It was refreshing to see that kind of humbleness from the President of an organization.  She would have represented the society well and we will miss her dearly.

 

With sadness in our hearts, and sympathies to Alisa's family,

Sam & June & Norine

We met Alisa soon after she moved into her house.  We felt very lucky to have such a wonderful new member added to our neighbourhood.  It is hard to believe
that it has been as many years as it has.  Although we did not see her a lot, when we did it was usually in the garden.  She was always happy and full of ideas on how to make the garden ever better.  As we look at it out our window, which is always a pleasure, we will think of her.  We enjoyed our chats with her, Mark and Juba.
We will miss her.  Our hearts go out to Mark and her family.

Dave & Fran

I met Alisa in spring 1983, when JTB International (Canada) Ltd. opened the first office in Vancouver.  Our boss, Mr. Mikoshiba, named us and another Akiko as “the 3 A big eaters”, as we, Alisa, Akiko, Akiko could eat as much as we wanted and did not have to worry about our west lines at that time.

 

The last time I met Alisa was on June 11, 2007 for her Japanese lesson.  As the president of  NNM&HC (Nikkei Centre), she wanted to be able to communicate in Japanese and also be correct in her manners to Japanese.  Besides the lesson, we had so many topics we enjoyed talking.  On Nikkei Centre, about fund raising, about her community volunteer work, about holidays, about weekends on the island, about singing, about our dogs, and so on. 

 

We have been friends for almost 25 years and at the same time she was our company lawyer for the last 15 years.  Professionally, she was strict, stuck to the rules, but always tried to find some solutions. 

 

When I lost my late husband four years ago at the age of 50, she helped me through my difficult time, telling me her experience on how to cope with the emotions.

 

It is so hard to believe that I cannot hear her voice and laughter any more.  I am sure Mark, you feel the same way.  If there is anything I can help, please let me know.

Alisa, you were my very first best friend!  I can't recollect the day that I met you because you had always been there.  When I look back at all my baby/toddler/school age/teenager pictures you are in lots of them, at the pool, at the beach, on a boat, at your house, at birthday parties, school class pictures,... the list goes on and on.  We were together through ups and downs, good times and bad times, through thick and thin.  

 

You were with me when I registered for my first year at UBC, back in the day (when things weren't computerized) and we had to tromp from Faculty to Faculty, building to building to get my course cards.  We were almost finished, until we went to pick up the last course card and found out it was full!  We had to return all the cards and start back at square one.  I believe it took us 3 days to get me registered, all in the famous Vancouver rain, but you stuck by me and made sure I was taken care of.  That was 34 years ago, but it seems like yesterday that you encouraged me to stick with it like you always had for the many years before that as well. 

 

After I graduated from UBC and we were both busy with our lives, I missed you so I had Les hire you at Eddie's Place for Fish so that we could once again be together.  We talked for hours and got paid at the same time!!  Those were the days!

 

Later on you had places to go,...people to meet!  You had strong convictions, even as a child, so it didn't surprise me of the path that you took,...to help others.  You have touched and impacted many lives, including mine, in your much too short one.  Thank you for being my very first best friend!!!!!!

 

Gone,...but never forgotten,...always in my thoughts and in my heart.

Diana

My first memory of Alisa was when I was 15 at Gladstone High School. I had just become a Christian a short time earlier and this vivacious and pretty girl comes up to shy me at my locker and introduces herself and invites me to the youth group meeting that weekend. I didn't even catch her name, but we became good friends in the years following and I came to know her as outgoing, full of energy, multi-talented and very bright.

I have so many  memories of Alisa after that. Many Young Peoples planning sessions at her house and meetings there. Trips to places like Whistler where she helped plan and cook for the group. The time about eight of us went on a overnight road trip to Revelstoke to visit Don Scott.

For a time Alisa, Herb Wong, and I met at Herb's house weekly to discuss issues that we were having in our lives. We had some pretty open dialogue.

We were sad when Alisa decided to go to University in Saskatchewan and we didn't see her for a long time.

Not sure  I have any real "stories", except maybe this one. It's sorta funny now, but at the time it wasn't very. I seem to recall Alisa as a dangerous driver. I don't know if that was generally true or not, but it probably stems from the following incident. I used to drive down to Alisa's place on Earles to help plan YP (young people's) activities or just to talk about issues in my life like girl problems I was having. One time I went and she wasn't in so I was driving back home when we pass each other on the side road. We both stopped and Alisa backs up so we can be side by side... and backs right up into the side of my car!

I recall seeing Alisa rarely really angry, but she was mad this time. She somehow blamed me for the incident. Looking back I see that she was just upset because she'd have to tell her parents about the accident, and there were other things happening too.

Actually, maybe her driving hadn't improved all that much. A little while ago she told me she had driven into a car's rearend that had been stopped in the middle of the road. ICBC put her at fault even though the other car was in the middle of the street, because she was moving and the other car wasn't. She was disputing this with ICBC, of course, and I never did find out the outcome.

Anyway, the world is a bit sadder place without Alisa in it. Even though as we grew older we didn't see each other much anymore, her influence has stayed with me all my life, and I have often thought of her.

To finish off the memories. The last time I saw Alisa was just outside the Safeway store on Broadway and Commercial a few months ago. I was dropping in on the way home for some groceries and there she was, waiting to meet a girl friend. We just had time to say "Hi" and "How you been?" when she had to go. She was a bit older looking, as we all are, but still the same outgoing and bright person I had first known and even that short meeting brightened my day.

Carlos