Michiko Matsuo

Michiko Matsuo (nee Ikeda) was born on Feb 13, 1941 during WWII while her family was stationed in China. They returned to post-war Japan and her family managed to build a successful life in Tokyo. With a degree in economics, she was very business oriented. On April 5, 1966, she married Koyu Matsuo who worked for the Ikeda family. They started their own restaurant in Osaka before they ventured to Canada where Koyu dreamed to learn and excel in French culinary arts. They landed in Canada on May 25, 1969 with very young children Yukako (Patty) and Yasushi (Jim). They initially settled in Campbellton, New Brunswick where French was vibrant and acquaintances from Japan were known. With the dream of opening a French restaurant thwarted, they made their way to Saint John, New Brunswick where they influenced the food industry through Chan Foods, a popular frozen food manufacturer during the 70’s in Atlantic Canada. In 1984, they eventually started their own very successful restaurant, the Evergreen. Upon retirement they moved to Alliston, Ontario, in 1993 but decided to open another small take-out restaurant, the Golden Pine for a few years before completely retiring in Wasaga Beach in 2000. Michiko was thrilled to be attending her granddaughter’s wedding and celebrating this happy occasion with her family prior to her sudden passing on August 10, 2024. She was a determined, task driven and hardworking life-long learner who modelled cleanliness, organization and financial acumen and was always focused on providing the best for her children and grand-children. She is survived by her spouse, Koyu, daughter Patty and son in-law Darryl Waghorne and their children Emily Waghorne (and Adam Krueger) and Jacob Waghorne (and Alyssa Bottoni), son Jim and daughter-in-law Kamaljit and their children Benjamin and Katelyn Matsuo. In Japan, she is survived by her older sister Sadako Hamano and younger brothers Hiroshi and Satoshi Ikeda and their families. She was a strong foundation for her family, always taking a supporting role to lift others to success. She was a woman of action, teaching life lessons through doing more than saying. She will be missed dearly.