Michiko "Mickey" Poe

Passed away on August 17, 2020 at the age of 84 in Kalamazoo, MI. She was born on March 26, 1936 to the late Sueo Miyazaki and Haru Shinohara. Michiko was united in marriage to Richard Poe on May 28, 1958 for a loving 62 years. She was a member of North Park Reformed Church and she enjoyed volunteering at the Binder Park Zoo in Battle Creek. Rick and Mickey met in Sasebo, Japan where Rick was stationed while serving in the Navy. They married and stayed in Japan until their firstborn was nine months old. Mickey and Rick moved to Kalamazoo, she became a US citizen and stayed the remainder of her life. Mickey found work as a seamstress with a close-knit group of fellow Japanese women and became a skilled custom drapery maker. She crocheted beautiful afghans for all of her grandchildren, great-grandchildren and many babies from church. Mickey loved to garden and found relaxation pulling weeds. She loved playing card games and displayed fun competitiveness when it came to board games such as backgammon and dominoes. Mickey and Rick loved riding their tandem bicycle throughout the park and waving to their neighbors. Her favorite spot was watching chipmunks feed from the bird feeder outside her dining room window. Mickey's favorite song was "Jesus Loves Me" and she had an unfaltering belief in Jesus Christ. She was a loving wife, mother, grandmother, and great grandmother, always joyful and embracing life fully. She was capable of making friends in any setting in the blink of an eye. Everybody who knew her loved her and will miss her immensely. She was known as "Baachan", the casual Japanese term for "Grandmother". Mickey and Rick traveled the world including numerous trips to visit her family in Japan, Italy to visit their son's family and many trips throughout the US, Canada and Europe. One of her favorites was a river cruise down the Danube. Mickey is survived by her husband, Rick; children, Kathy (Rick) Chapman, Brent (Claudia Romano) Poe and Teresa (Corey) Brink; seven grandchildren; six great-grandchildren; and one sister, Hiroko (Etushige) Kuroki. Due to Covid-19, a memorial service and committal service will be announced at a later date. Services are entrusted to Langeland Family Funeral Homes. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to Binder Park Zoo in Battle creek or to North Park Reformed Church, Kalamazoo. Please visit Mickey's personalized webpage at https://www.langelands.com