Higano Family

Yoshiichi Higano [1902 – 1991]

Masuko Higano (nee Tsuchiya) [1907 – 1985]

Yoshiichi Dave Higano was born on June 28, 1902, in Tochigi-ken, Japan, to Densaku and Kisa (nee Sayama). Masuko Mary Higano (nee Tsuchiya) was born on March 1, 1907, in Vancouver, BC, to Hajime and Tsugi (nee Asahina)

June Higano and Susumu Chiba at Grad dance party, 1956. P-13112.

Yoshiichi and Masuko married on April 28, 1937, in Vancouver. He was an accountant. Masuko was a bookkeeper at the time of their marriage. They had three children: June Takako, Dianne Tomoko, and Clifford Ken. In 1942, the family was forced to relocate to Revelstoke and lived in the Big Eddy district, later moving to 149 Front Street. 

Dave worked for the Canadian Pacific Railway and for Mount Revelstoke National Park. Mary worked for the Department of Highways for many years.

The family moved to Richmond, BC,  in the 1980s. Masuko died in Richmond on January 26, 1985 and Dave died in Richmond on December 19, 1993.

June Takako Chiba (nee Higano) [1938 – 1991]

June was born in 1938 in Vancouver and came to Revelstoke with her family in 1942. She attended Selkirk School and Revelstoke High School, then went to UBC and became a teacher. She began teaching at Selkirk School in 1958. She married Susumu Chiba on July 22, 1961, in Vernon, BC, and continued to teach there. They later moved to Richmond and were both educators in the Richmond School District for many years.

Dianne Higano yearbook photo from Grade 10 at Revelstoke High School, 1959.

June Chiba (nee Higano) passed away on April 1, 1991. Susumu Chiba passed away on March 12, 2007.

Dianne Laforme (nee Higano) [1943 – present]

Dianne was born in 1943 in Revelstoke. She attended Selkirk School and Revelstoke High School, then went to UBC and became a teacher. She married George Richard Laforme in 1965 (George was born in Revelstoke in 1942). They moved to Halifax, where their first son, Kent was born. George spent 23 years as a helicopter pilot serving in the Canadian Armed Forces. In 1968, she opened a women’s clothing boutique, which she ran for three years. At the time, it was the only women’s clothing store in the Halifax area. In 1970, the family moved to Montreal, and George began a new career with Bombardier Aerospace. They moved to Hong Kong in 1996, where George became the Vice President of Bombardier. After his retirement, they settled in Victoria, BC. George Laforme died on May 20, 2016. Dianne is healthy and living in Victoria, BC, along with her brother Clifford, who was also born and raised in Revelstoke. In the 1970s, Cliff worked as a surveyor at the Mica Dam construction project.