Chiharu Suzuki Hall

Chiharu Hall passed away on Wednesday morning, September 16, 2020, following a short illness. Chiharu was born on March 12, 1926, in Sendai, Japan. She is preceded in death by her mother (who lived to be 106) and her husband, Wendell. She came to this country after marrying Wendell, who served in the United States Army in Korea and Japan. At the completion of his tour of duty in Sacramento, California in 1956, they moved to Hastings and ran a restaurant, called Rita's Cafe' (now Spiral Pizza). They then operated the Captain's Table in Prescott, where they offered their famous Friday night fish fry. They left there to develop the food operations for Afton Alps where they worked until their retirement. They had no children, but hired almost every teenager in Hastings and Prescott. One of her skills she learned in Japan was Kimona making, which were all made by hand. She also showed her talents at Olson's Florist, especially for special occasions like Easter, Mother's Day, and Prom. She has been very active in the MN Nihonjinkai Group at the Japanese Library in Bloomington where she is revered as an elder, and was the oldest member of The Japanese American Society of Minneapolis. Chiharu enjoyed her garden until the day of her illness which produced a bumper crop, always for family, friends, and neighbors, and also enjoyed going to the casino. Chiharu is survived by her brother; brothers and sisters-in-law, Donald (Karen) Hall, Diane Dusek, Christy Niederkorn, Edna (Myron) Langenfeld, Verne (Rita) Hall, and Janet Bowman; and by many nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends. Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. Saturday, September 19, 2020, at Starkson Family Life Celebration Chapel of Hastings. Private interment will take place at Fort Snelling National Cemetery in Minneapolis. Family and friends are cordially invited to a visitation from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m., and to a reception immediately following the service, all at the funeral home on Saturday. All attendees are requested to respect social distancing guidelines and to wear masks during your time at the funeral home. If desired, memorials are preferred to the Japanese American Society or to St. Jude in memory of Chiharu. Arrangements are being completed by Starkson Family Life Celebration Chapel of Hastings.