SALISBURY, Mass. — Eiko Janet Thurlow, age 92, longtime resident of True Road in Salisbury, Mass., passed away peacefully Wednesday, July 11, 2018. She was married for 68 years to the late Henry P. Thurlow Jr.

The eldest daughter of the late Takeji and Frances (White) Matsubara, Eiko was born in Brooklyn, New York, on May 3, 1926. She and her family later moved to Danvers, Mass., where she lived until she and Henry moved to Salisbury in 1958.

Eiko was a graduate of Holton High School in Danvers, Mass., with the Class of 1943. She later graduated with a bachelor’s degree from the Massachusetts School of Art in Boston.

As a young woman, Eiko traveled by train from Danvers into Boston, where she worked as an illustrator. After moving to Salisbury, she became immersed in working beside Henry to renovate their home at the corner of True Road in Salisbury. Her artistic abilities were evident in her early drawings and paintings, Christmas cards and the design of her home.

What brought her joy? Gatherings with her large family; traveling with her sister and best friend, Faith; sewing clothing and household furnishings for her family; meticulously working on her home and surrounding property. Most of all, she enjoyed caring for the ‘children’. Eiko was known for her quick wit, above-average intelligence, dry sense of humor and progressive attitude for the times. She had a quiet-yet-determined strength about her.

Eiko is survived by her son, Roger E. Thurlow, and his wife, Heidi, of Salisbury, Mass.; her daughter, Janet T. Fournier, of South Paris, Maine; sister, Gail Wong, of Topsfield, Mass.; brothers Ramon (Ray) Matsubara of Stockton Springs, Maine, and Tora (Skip) Matsubara of Jackman, Maine; five grandchildren: Daniel, Jonathan and Christopher Thurlow, Jennifer Gordon and Joseph Fournier; and several great-grandchildren and nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her husband, Henry P. Thurlow Jr.; one sister, Faith Pence,; and two brothers: Alden Matsubara and Murray (Sonny) Matsubara.

Eiko lived 15 years coping graciously with Alzheimer’s disease. In June of 2013, her daughter and advocate, Janet, moved her to Maine. Her family would like to thank those who cared for Eiko during her long illness: Jackie Haggerty (Salisbury neighbor); the staff at Atria in Newburyport, Mass.; St. Mary’s D’Youville in Lewiston, Maine, Memory Care at Market Square in South Paris, Maine and Beacon Hospice.

Eiko Janet Thurlow