Noriko Waits

Noriko Waits, beloved widow of Commander Wood D. Waits, USN (Ret), passed away peacefully in Pensacola, Florida on November 2, 2026, at the age of 94. Born March 2, 1932, in Japan to Sakujiro and Chiyo Sugiyama, Noriko met Wood while he was stationed there. Their marriage in Japan marked the beginning of a remarkable sixty-six-year journey together filled with love, adventure and devotion to one another.

A devoted wife and mother, Noriko raised their four children with strength, grace and love, managing the responsibilities of home and family during Wood’s Navy deployments. She created a warm, welcoming home that provided comfort, stability and love throughout the many moves and challenges of military life.

Beyond her devotion to family, Noriko was deeply committed to serving her community. She volunteered with the Red Cross at Pensacola Naval Hospital for more than thirty years and was a founding member of the Japan Cultural Society of Northwest Florida, helping to promote cultural understanding and foster friendships between Japan and the local community.

Proud to become a United States citizen, Noriko embraced her adopted country while remaining deeply connected to her Japanese heritage. She performed across the nation as a member of a Japanese dance troupe, sharing the beauty of traditional Japanese culture at military installations and state events.

Through her involvement with the Japan-America Society of Northwest Florida and the UWF Japan House, she conducted traditional tea ceremonies and helped organize cultural programs, workshops and educational events that enriched the community and inspired appreciation for Japanese traditions.

Noriko's legacy of love, service and cultural exchange will be cherished by her family and all who knew her. She is survived by her children; daughter, Karen Leigh; son, Joseph Michael; daughter, Doris Hiromi Cooper with her husband, Ralph and granddaughter, Courtney; grandson Jacob, with his wife Wanling; daughter, Susan Alma and grandson, Justin Engen with his wife Brittany. In addition to her children and grandchildren, Noriko is survived by her family in Japan; her sister-in-law, Nancy Doolittle; and numerous nieces and nephews.

She is preceded in death by her beloved husband, Wood D. Waits; her parents, Sakujiro and Chiyo Sugiyama; her brothers and sisters; her parents-in-law, Ferney Wood and Alma Peeples Waits and her sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Polly and Billy Mack Garrison.

A Visitation for Noriko will be held at Oak Lawn Funeral Home in Pensacola, Florida, on November 13, 2026, from 3:00PM to 5:00PM. An additional Visitation will be held at Oliver Funeral Home in Eupora, Mississippi, on November 16, 2026, from 1:00PM to 2:00PM, with Funeral Services to immediately follow at 2:00PM in Oliver Funeral Home Chapel. Interment will follow at Mt. Vernon Baptist Church Cemetery where she will be laid to rest beside her beloved husband in Webster County, Mississippi. All Graveside/Committal Services will be held at Oliver Funeral Home Chapel instead of Mt. Vernon Cemetery.

The family requests that in lieu of flowers all memorials in Mrs. Waits' honor be made to the UWF Japan House Endowment at https://uwf.edu/university-advancement/departments/development/give-now/donate/alphabetical-index-of-funds/?BBFund=733 or St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

Oak Lawn Funeral Home of Pensacola and Oliver Funeral Home of Eupora is honored to be entrusted with all arrangements for the Waits family.