Setsuko Bey

Setsuko “Shorty” Bey age 94 of Rogers City passed away peacefully at home on March 3, 2024.

She was born February 3, 1930, in Sendai, Japan to Tomonari and Mitsugi (Sugawara) Kimigafukuro.

Shorty graduated from Hokusai High School in Hokkaido, Japan in 1946. After graduation, she worked for the Occupation Forces/Communication at Regional Camp Crawford in Hokkaido as a telephone operator until 1950. Then she worked as an accountant at NCO Club at Camp Crawford, NCO Club at Chitose Air Force Base in Hokkaido and NCO Club in Misawa Air Force Base in Honshu until 1960. On April 13, 1960, she married Earl W. Bey in Tokyo, Japan. She was baptized and confirmed at the Evangelical Lutheran Church in at Yokota Air Force Base on March 26, 1961. She and Earl moved to Glasgow Air Force Base in Montana in June of 1962 where she worked at the BOQ as a janitor from 1962 until 1966. She became a United States Citizen in 1965.  Following Earl’s retirement from the Air Force in 1966, after 20 years of service, they moved to Rogers City. Shorty was a member of St. John Lutheran Church. She enjoyed gardening, crocheting, knitting, cross country skiing and working jigsaw puzzles.

Shorty is survived by many nieces and nephews; special niece and her husband, Louise and Bruce Kohler; dear longtime friend, John Needham; two sisters, a stepbrother and nieces and nephews in Japan.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Earl on July 1, 1982.

A private funeral will take place at the Beck Funeral Home.

Interment will take place next to her husband at Memorial Park Cemetery.

Memorials may be given to St. John Lutheran Church in memory of Shorty Bey.

Special thanks to Hospice of Michigan, especially to Michaela, Paula and Michael for their wonderful care.

Online condolences may be addressed through www.beckfuneralhome.org