Michiko Kondo, 91

Longtime Panhandle Health District nurse, Michiko Kondo, 91, died on Oct. 26, 2019 in Seattle, Washington. Michiko Matsumoto was born to Ryoichi Matsumoto and Yoshi Yabuki Matsumoto on May 6, 1928, in San Diego, California. She was the third of four children and was predeceased by older sister Tami and younger brother Kazuo. Michi and her family were sent to an internment camp during World War II; Camp 3 at Poston, Arizona. She was able to leave the camp to finish high school in Evanston, Illinois.

After graduating high school, she studied for a year at San Diego State College, then moved to Detroit where she enrolled at the University of Michigan as a nursing student. There she met Fred Kondo, a law student and a returning World War II veteran. He served in the 522nd Field Artillery Unit supporting the 442nd Regi-mental Combat Unit in Italy, France and Germany.

They married in 1950 after she graduated and she joined him in Priest River, Idaho, where he had established a law practice in his hometown. They raised four daughters and enjoyed life doing activities such as huckleberry picking and snow skiing at Schweitzer Mountain. The family often traveled to the Midwest to see relatives and explored the United States. Fred Kondo passed away on Aug. 4, 1971.

While working at the Panhandle Health Department, Michi was known as the “shot lady’ at the many schools that she visited for immunization clinics. She also did well child, well baby, family planning clinics and home health visits throughout Bonner County.

Michi was accepted into one of the first nurse practitioner training programs funded by the state of Idaho. She earned a women’s health care nurse practitioner degree through UCLA at Valley General Hospital in Gardena, California, and was then able to provide expanded health care services to people in North Idaho. She served on the Idaho State Board of Nursing for many years and was named Idaho State Employee of the Year in 1971.

After 28 years she retired and moved to Seattle, where she worked at Fred Hutchinson’s Cancer Center on the Women’s Health Care Research Project. She traveled abroad extensively, made many return trips to Priest River and enjoyed her grandchildren’s activities.

Michi is survived by her brother, Yo Matsumoto, 98, and her sister-in-law, Dorothy (Kazuo) Matsumoto; and her sister-in-law, Mabel Kondo Ogata. Surviving children are retired judge C. Kimi Kondo, Nancy Heublein, son-in-law Tom Heublein, Patty Rivers, and Tina Kondo. Grandchildren are Soleil Flux (James) Rabb, Fred Rabb, Emily Rivers and Lian Rivers. She is also survived by numerous nephews and nieces on both the Matsumoto and Kondo sides of the family.

Memorial services will be held on Nov. 9, 2019, at 3 p.m. at Heritage Funeral Home, 508 N. Government Way, Spokane, Washington.

In lieu of flowers, donations to Planned Parenthood, Union Gospel Mission, Common Cause, or the Southern Poverty Law Center are suggested.