Posted on: Thursday, March 6, 2003

Mary Reiko Osaka, groundbreaking lawyer, dead at 46

Advertiser Staff

Mary Reiko Osaka, the first Asian-American woman to serve as district counsel for the Immigration & Naturalization Service, died Feb. 8 at Stanford University Medical Center. She was 46.

Osaka was born in Minneapolis, Minn., on Dec. 9, 1956, and graduated from Cupertino High School in California as a National Merit Scholar. She received her law degree from Hastings College of Law in San Francisco in 1982.

After working with the City and County of Honolulu, Osaka joined the INS in 1988. Since 1992, she served as district counsel for Hawai'i and Guam.

Osaka is survived by parents, Walter and Yoshiye; sisters, Barbara Okazaki and Julie Tachibana. Visitation 1 p.m. Saturday at Borthwick Mortuary; service 2 p.m. Donations may be made to one's favorite charity.