Haruko Adkins

Haruko Adkins passed away on May 16, 2020, at INOVA Alexandria Hospital, after a 12-day battle with Covid-19.  Haruko was born in Nagoya, Japan on January 5, 1930.  She was preceded in death by her parents, siblings and her beloved husband, Earl, who died November 26, 1999.  She is survived by her many friends who loved her dearly.

Haruko met and married Earl while he was serving as a criminal investigator in the U.S. Army Military Police Corps.  They traveled and lived in many places, including San Francisco and Germany.  Earl retired from the military in 1971 and they eventually settled in Arlington, Virginia.  They had an insurance business for many years.  A neighbor taught Haruko how to play tennis and she became an excellent tennis player.   She joined Skyline Sport & Health Club decades ago, and when she wasn’t playing tennis, she could be found having coffee with her friends or helping with the many Skyline Tennis events at the Club.  She was also a superb ping-pong player.

After Earl died, Haruko stayed in her Fairlington townhouse until 2013, when she moved into Goodwin House Bailey’s Crossroads. She had an apartment in an independent living section.  She quickly made many friends and began the volunteer work that she dearly loved.  She had performed volunteer work with the military for years and she received numerous accolades and awards for her military work and for her work at Goodwin House, including “Volunteer of the Year.”  She knitted many sweaters for “Knit for Kids.”  She was on the Flower & Watering Team, where she made flower arrangements every Friday.  She had studied the art of floral arrangement in Japan and received a four-year degree as a Master Florist.  She utilized her excellent organizational skills for pricing and arranging the merchandise for the WhatNot Shop (the Goodwin House thrift store).  She made bags to be filled with food for the Arlington Food Assistance Center.  She would complain of being tired sometimes, but this would be after making 150 bags!

She was a talented gardener and was often consulted on how to care for plants and flowers.  She would show up and slip her “green thumb” through her clippers and magic would happen. She made beautiful origami cranes and gifted these to many people over the years.  She loved to travel and, in her later years, she had a bucket list.  Thanks to good friends, she was able to visit every place on her list, except Machu Picchu. 

Haruko was one of the kindest, dearest, strongest and wisest persons anyone could ever know.  She was vibrant, smart, polite and modest.  She was beautiful, giving and someone all of us are blessed to have had in our lives.  We love you Haruko and know you have gone “home” to Earl.

The memorial service on Saturday May 30 at 11:00 a.m. at Everly-Wheatley Funeral Home in Alexandria is private due to the Covid-19 guidelines.  Interment at Arlington National Cemetery will be scheduled at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to: GHBC Employee Gift Fund, Goodwin House Bailey's Crossroads, 3440 S. Jefferson Street, Falls Church, VA 22041. 

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