Tamiko is better known as Tammy by friends, family and Three Links staff. She’s always up for a good game of bingo and you’ll find her playing alongside her friends and fellow residents every week. If she’s not there (and if the Vancouver sun is shining) she’s never far away from the Three Links’ garden.

Tammy brings a fascinating life story to Three Links–a collective trait that all of our residents have, and a part of what makes our centre full of a richness in character and diversity. She was born in Prince Rupert on May 4, 1928. Her mother was Japanese and, although she knows her father was part Japanese, the rest of her paternal heritage is a mystery through her father’s adoption.

When World War II broke out, Tammy travelled to Japan and lived there until the early 1960s–when she could no longer deny the pull across the Pacific back to British Columbia. She spent a lot of her time working in canneries up and down the coast, but her dream had always been to become a hairdresser. Tammy pursued her dream by night, attending evening classes to gain the knowledge she needed to earn her dream job. Unsurprisingly, through hard work and dedication, Tammy came to own her own beauty salon in Vancouver.

Elise Anderson, Three Links Care Centre’s Recreation Coordinator says, “Tammy is so kind and compassionate. She is always willing to help out and be involved in activities around the Centre—and she always has a smile on her face.” Tammy is upbeat and social, and she loves her city deeply. She never misses an opportunity to join her friends on a Three Links bus trip around Vancouver.

For residents and staff at Three Links Care Centre, she shares her friendship and kindness in the present alongside the always-entertaining stories of her past.