Kaitlyn Valorie Moriwaki

1989-2004

     We were blessed by Kaitlyn Valorie’s arrival on June 24, 1989, in Miami, Florida, and from the moment of her birth, nestled in the baby-of-the-family spot, she was our delight and joy.  Brother Kyle and sister Kelly entertained and serenaded her with songs, costumes, skits, and the stuff of which sibling magic is made.  Laden with laughter and a loving spirit, she grew into a cherubic toddler, sun-kissed with twinkling eyes.  Siblings and parents alike, we savored the many stages of her young life, as she learned to swim like a fish, climb leafy trees, and bicycle with gleeful abandon, streaked ringlets of hair streaming behind her.

     Life transitions took us to Larchmont, New York, hometown of Kaitlyn’s dad, and she quickly settled in with blossoming friendships and exciting educational and cultural opportunities. A year at Murray Ave. School led to 3 more at Chatsworth Ave. School, and all the while, friendships and adventures broadened. This was where she was meant to flourish.

     A bit shy and mellow, she discovered she loved dance, and that expression took flight with jazz and hip-hop for years.  Her love of art and fashion design grew in scope and sophistication.  She enjoyed her Ikebana flower-arranging lessons with her ‘Obasama’ (Grandmother) for several years, and in fourth grade, she began her seven-year foray into the joys of viola performance.  Between school orchestra, private instruction with the Larchmont Music Academy and subsequently, the formation of a string quartet with 3 other talented girls, Kaitlyn relished this musical expression.  This culminated, on two occasions, with performances at Carnegie Hall.

     Three amazing years at Hommocks Middle School, where academic, artistic, and musical excellence abounded, was followed by the promise of all that Mamaroneck High School could bring to Kaitlyn. About this time, she began practicing yoga, learning to play the ‘erhu’ (Chinese violin) and incorporating baking, sushi-making, and other culinary pursuits into her repertoire.  Ninth grade, indeed, brought a myriad of experiences and she enjoyed further adventures in the summer of 2004 in Canada, California, and Las Vegas.  

     For fifteen years we were blessed to have Kaitlyn in our embrace, and the measure of that joy is incalculable.  We reveled in all that she gave us, as her gifts were plentifully and lovingly shared.  Affectionate, thoughtful, generous, encouraging, and forgiving; this was our sweet Kaitlyn and we will cherish her memory for evermore.