Seiichi Motoki, 77, a Chicago commercial artist who fought in France while his Japanese-American family was interned during World War II, died at home Saturday.
Born in Seattle, he volunteered for the Army, becoming a member of Company F, an all-Japanese-American combat regiment, while his family was interned at Puyallu Assembly Center in Washington and at Minidoka Relocation Center in Hunt, Idaho. Mr. Motoki was awarded a Purple Heart for wounds he sustained in France.
Mr. Motoki’s sister-in-law, Nobi Sugai, who was born in Seattle and also interned at Minidoka with her sister Hide, Mr. Motoki’s late wife, said that Mr. Motoki was creative, compassionate and quiet.
“We never really talked about the internment–our kids have no idea what it was like,” she said.
After the war, Mr. Motoki moved to Chicago and worked as a commercial artist at Wilding, Inc., learning the art of “Schereynschnitte,” or very fine scissor-cuts of silhouettes on black paper, from Hans Bittner.
Mr. Motoki later owned his own animation company, Kayem Animation.
Survivors include two daughters, Maryanne Murphy and Eileen Potter; a brother, Shigeru; and four grandchildren.
Services will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday at Lake View Funeral Home, 1458 W. Belmont Ave.
