Miki N. Takamori, 48, Philadelphia, Pa., and formerly of Warsaw, died April 1, 2013, from injuries sustained in an early morning fire that raced through her West Philadelphia home Jan. 23, 2013, when she jumped from a second-floor window just after 4:30 a.m., trying to escape the blaze. The fire was out by 5:30 a.m. No one else was injured. She was taken to the hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, and transferred to Temple’s Burn Intensive Care Unit the same day. She was born Oct. 7, 1964, in Tokyo, to David Masaru and Bernice Mitsue Koda Takamori. The family came to the United States in 1968, and settled in Warsaw. She was a 1983 graduate of Warsaw Community High School. At the University of Pennsylvania, she studied environmental design. Later, she graduated from Thomas Jefferson University with a specialty in general sonography, although she chose not to switch to a career in that field. For 16 years she worked for the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, most recently as supervisor of clinical operations in the hospital’s obstetrics and gynecology department. “She loved her work and decided to stay, primarily because of the people she worked with,” said her brother, Mike H. Takamori, Bloomington, Ill. She was popular on the job. In 2006, she was nominated for the Emil & Lynn Hubschman Award by the U.P. Health System. The award recognized those who provide quality care. Her family described her as a gentle, kind-hearted person who loved to laugh and enjoyed the company of friends. She also liked reading, painting and crafts, watching baseball and movies and listening to music. Her neighbors and friends on Willow Lane, Warsaw, remember her with love and admiration on the one-year anniversary of her tragic death. Her kind spirit will remain forever with all who knew her. Surviving are her brother and sister-in-law, Candyce L. Gray. She was preceded in death by her parents. Services were held April 13, 2013, at the Unitarian Society of Germantown, Philadelphia. ***** Memorials to Cardinal Center, 504 N. Bay Drive, Warsaw, IN 46580.
