Mitsue Shindo

 Mitsue Shindo

August 25, 1930 – July 3, 2023 

MINNEAPOLIS – A Celebration of Life service for Mitsue Shindo, 92, will be at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, August 12, at Westgate Church (formerly Wayzata Evangelical Free Church), 705 County Road 101 North, Plymouth, MN 55447, with a luncheon following. 

A 45-year resident of Marshall, MN, and 10-year resident of Minnetonka, Mitsue Shindo went to be with her Lord on Monday, July 3, 2023.  

Mitsue was born in Tokyo, Japan, the youngest of four children of Kinjiro and Tome Nagao. She grew up in a Christian home where they had family devotions every morning.  

She attended Keisen Jogakuen, a private Christian girls school in Tokyo. In 5^th grade, the school took the girls to the countryside due to bombing in Tokyo during World War II. At Keisen, she got to meet Helen Keller, Corrie ten Boom, and General MacArthur. She was thankful her parents encouraged her to go to school there, where she grew academically and spiritually from middle school through graduation from Keisen University. 

She came to the United States to attend the University of Minnesota, earning her Master of Arts degree. While living with Loren “Mac” & Mary McCoy, her American family, she met Frank Shindo. Her family wasn’t able to come from Japan, so Mac walked her down the aisle as she married Frank in 1960. They had 3 children, Jonathan, Gracia, and Vera. In 1968, they moved to Marshall, MN, where she was much more than a home maker.  

Mitsue loved the Lord and served Him faithfully at church, in Bible studies, and through her gift of hospitality, especially to international students at Southwest Minnesota State University (SMSU). Many people fondly remember her demonstrations of Japanese cooking, kimono, Japanese tea ceremony, and origami. She and Frank also volunteered many winters at Wycliffe Bible Translators in TX.  

Survivors include son Jonathan (Joyce) Shindo of Concord, CA; daughter Gracia (Spencer) Reed of Fernley, NV; daughter Vera Shindo of Brooklyn Center, MN; grandchildren Jessica, Jason (Lina) & Jeana Shindo; Joshua & Elizabeth Reed; niece Mari Nagao, nephew Kiyoshi (Yukiko) Nagao and great-niece Minami, numerous in-laws, extended and “adopted” family. 

She was preceded in death by husband Frank Shindo, parents Kinjiro and Tome Nagao, brother Eiichi Nagao, sisters Ai (Shigeyasu) Aoki and Gin (Koichi) Nagao. 

Our thanks to the wonderful people at Beacon Hill, a Presbyterian Homes senior living community, and Optage for their loving care of mom. We’re also grateful to her friends at Nihonjinkai and Hiroko’s Heart who brought love and a bento meal every month. Mom loved it so much Vera purchased a weekly bento for mom from Mami-san who makes the bento for Hiroko’s Heart.