Sumiko Faulkner
1944-2016
Sumiko Faulkner, 72, of Richburg, New York died surrounded by her four sons, three of her four grandchildren, and
a close family friend on December 20, 2016, at the Olean General Hospital in Olean, NY. Born February 4, 1944 in
Naha City in Okinawa Japan, she is predeceased by her parents, Byousei and Fumi (Yagi) Ishikawa of Okinawa
Japan.
Sumiko will be remembered by her family and those closest to her for her unparalleled work ethic, her perpetual
interest in self-improvement, and her delicious cooking and baking. While raising her 4 boys she undertook shift
factory work at AVX Ceramics and, later, the CUTCO Corporation. In between those employs, she spent many
years as a nurse’s aide at Cuba Memorial Hospital. The CEO of CUTCO once shared with one of Sumiko’s sons that
“if CUTCO only had 100 employees like Sumiko, the company’s performance would have soared to incredible
levels!”
Sumiko strove to always achieve and to better herself. After coming to the United States in 1967, she took pride in
pursuing her U.S. citizenship, improving her English, learning to drive, and taking tennis lessons at the Olean
Racquet Club. Her sons remember, with great affection, laughs they shared with their mother as youngsters as
they helped her to improve her “R” and “L” sounds in words – sounds that are typically difficult when English is a
second language for Japanese–Americans.
Cooking was one of the many ways that Sumiko expressed the love, kindness, and generosity that embodied her
life. You could feel the warmth, the love, and the generosity in everything she prepared. Her sons are grateful
that Sumiko was their mom, and they intend to honor their memory of her by striving to fulfill their respective
potential in life, and to cook with love in both their hearts and in their hands.
Survivors include: her brother Shigeru Ishikawa and his wife, Chizuko, of Okinawa, Japan; her four sons, Mark and
his wife, Hye Jung, of Pyongtaek, South Korea; Preston and his partner, Matthew MacKinnon, of Rochester, NY; Eric
and his girlfriend, Tami Rice, of Buffalo, NY; Brent of Richburg NY; three granddaughters, Stephanie of Washington,
D.C.; Victoria of Jacksonville, FL; Erica of Jacksonville, FL; and grandson, Daniel, of Pyongtaek, Seoul South Korea;
nephews Yoshitaka and Akira and niece, Sonoko, all of Okinawa, Japan; and her former husband, Duane, who
assisted with Sumiko’s care during the last few years of her life as she struggled against complications relating to
advanced Parkinson’s disease. Sumiko’s family would also like to recognize Rebecca.
Schaffner Funeral Home
