Masaye Kawai Russey

Masaye Russey of Crofton, MD, passed away peacefully at home on February 19, 2025, surrounded by her family. She was a beloved wife, mother, sister, aunt, grandmother, and friend. Masaye was a Nisei, born in Los Angeles, California, to the late Masaji and Katsuye (Kataoka) Kawai, who emigrated from Japan.

She is survived by her four adult sons and their spouses, eight grandchildren, two brothers, several nieces, nephews, and their families. As the eldest sibling, she embraced her role as a caring older sister to her two younger brothers.

During World War II, her family was forcibly relocated to the Rohwer Japanese American Relocation Center in Arkansas. Afterward, the family returned to Los Angeles, where Masaye graduated from Roosevelt High School, pursued a career in the entertainment industry, and later earned a journalism degree from California State University.

She started her career as an executive secretary at Universal Studios, where she was entrusted with a thrilling but confidential task—typing the final revisions for Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds. She often recalled how just reading the script sent chills down her spine. She later worked at NBC Studios, where she met the love of her life, John Wesley Russey III.

The two eloped in Las Vegas and shared a love of travel, the arts, theater, and Wimbledon—a passion that never faded. With their four boys in tow, they made homes in Tokyo, Milan, Zurich, and London before returning to Southern California. She was known for her big smiles, her spaghetti carbonara, and for spending countless hours cheering poolside at her sons’ swimming competitions and water polo games.

Masaye was a voracious reader, often reading several newspapers daily and carefully clipping articles about places to visit and restaurants to try. Once their sons were grown, she and John resumed their travels, eventually settling in Maryland, fulfilling Masaye’s dream of living on the East Coast.

Her love for the arts remained strong throughout her life. She volunteered as a docent at the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the Renwick Gallery in Washington, D.C. She had a deep passion for theater, often traveling to see performances, including annual trips to New York for Broadway shows. Her favorite was Phantom of the Opera, a show she proudly saw multiple times with the original cast. She encouraged her grandchildren to appreciate the arts and loved hearing her grandsons play the piano during visits to her assisted living home, where their music always brought her great joy.

A private service will be held in Maryland, and a memorial service will take place in the spring in Southern California. Memorial donations can be made to the Japanese American National Museum.