Non-traditional student dies

Yoshie Kogachi DiCaro, a CEU student, passed away February 7, 2004 at LDS Hospital in Salt Lake.
“I first met Yoshie DiCaro through her daughters Sophia and Maria. Sophia was in my International Relations class, and Maria and I had Japanese together (we were also neighbors) I remember Yoshie always asking questions about our homework and what we were learning about in class. She was always quick to give a commentary about the issues of the day, and she was very helpful when it came to studying for Japanese class,” said Billy Linear, CEU instructor and friend.
DiCaro was born June 10, 1946 in Kametsu, Tokunoshima, Kagoshima Ken, Japan to Hukuyoshi and Taru Shirai Kogachi. Married Benjamin DiCaro Nov. 14, 1974 in Naha, Okinawa, Japan; later divorced.
Yoshie was a longtime resident of Wellington where she owned and operated Yoshie’s Alterations where she worked as a stream stress since 1981. She earned her diploma from Carbon High School in June of 2002. Yoshie was a first-year CEU student. and volunteer for the CARE-A-VAN Program.
“It was nice to have another “mom” to make sure that I was learning. Yoshie was very concerned about education, and she set a great example for her daughters, and all of us around her.
“I smile when I think of her walking down the halls at the CBB with a question in her mind about one thing or another. I remember quite clearly our first chat at the CBB.
“She asked if I was taking classes and I told her that I was teaching – I think she was more excited than anyone else had been when she heard the news. She kept patting me on the shoulder and telling me, “I’m so proud of you, I’m so proud of you.”
“Yoshie had a way of making you feel like you really were the most important person in the world. She is one of those rare people who was willing to set aside her own heartache and listen to your problem, no matter how trivial. She was quick to comfort and slow to criticize, and she always smiled.
“We could all learn a lesson from the way that Yoshie lived her life – she worked hard to help those around her, and she never gave up – even when the world said she couldn’t succeed, she never gave up. That takes a lot of energy, and a lot of love.
“Yoshie knew the meaning of life, and she knew how precious life is. I think that she would be happy knowing she is remembered, but in her quiet way she would protest saying that she wasn’t important enough for all this bother. She would find someone more “worthy” of our admiration, but so would most of the world’s real heroes – they never let the focus rest on themselves, but choose to celebrate the successes of others. Her life was spent well, and I will miss her,” said Linear.