Noriko (Sakai) Sakai-Merrett

Passed away peacefully May 1st at Hospice Peterborough. Noriko is survived by her sister, Eiko Nitani (née Sakai). Noriko was the loving daughter of the late Masanori Sakai and Tomoko Sakai (née Michiko). She is deeply missed by her devoted husband, Neil.

Noriko was born in Mutsu, Aomori, Japan on October 12, 1959. Upon finishing high school in Mutsu, she moved to Tokyo where she received a diploma for Social Welfare from the Japan School of Social Work followed by studying Japanese literature at Toyo University Junior College. After working in Tokyo, Noriko came to Canada in 1987 and attended the University of Toronto, taking English as a Second Language. The friends and connections she made during that six-month stay established the root of a long-distance relationship which ultimately led to her marriage to Neil in 1996 and her settling in Peterborough.

Noriko attended Fleming College and received a diploma in Social Service Work. Her time at Fleming led to employment where she assisted the international programs for Osaka Seiki and later Toyo Eiwa partnerships on Early Childhood Education. Noriko was a board member and volunteer at the Peterborough YWCA through the 2000s. In 2011, Noriko started her own local fund-raising effort for victims of the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, exchanging origami cranes for donations.

Noriko was frequently seen walking her Golden Retrievers around the Teachers’ College neighbourhood. These walks, combined with Noriko’s passion for gardening, resulted in the “Teachers’ College Neighbourhood Backyard Garden Tour” and a membership in the Peterborough Horticultural Society. Noriko took great joy in volunteering at the Canadian Canoe Museum gift shop, which she did for 20 years. Noriko fortuitously became a seasonal employee at the Algonquin Park Visitor Center, spending the fall season there for 12 years, and deepened her love of nature.

Her family wishes to express their heartfelt gratitude for the love and support Noriko received from the many friends in her “Canadian Family”. Her family also wants to acknowledge the compassionate care Noriko received from everyone at St. Elizabeth and Hospice Peterborough.

A celebration of life will be held on August 15, from 6pm to 9pm at the Peterborough Canoe Museum. In lieu of flowers, please donate to the Canadian Cancer Society, Hospice Peterborough or a charity of your choice.