© Tampa Tribune, published November 21, 1998

Mother, daughter remembered

By Jose Pati Girona

TAMPA - Friends and family celebrate the lives of a giving mother and child who died Monday in a traffic accident.

She was the woman who kept her priorities straight, friends said, throwing her energy into family and church.

Yet Cindy Murakami didn't ignore her own needs. She exercised, dressed impeccably and even competed in the Mrs. Washington pageant.

Her 11-year-old daughter, Chelsea, was adopted, but so like her mom. A girl involved in everything, she got a charge from sharing.

"If there were two pieces of paper, she would give them both away," said Eleanor Baumner, a sixth-grade teacher at Keswick Christian School in St. Petersburg. "She was always looking out for the other person."

About 125 friends and family members gathered Friday at Without Walls International Church to remember Cindy and Chelsea Murakami, who died Monday in a car accident on West Hillsborough Avenue. The two were leaving a Publix supermarket in their minivan when they collided with a Dodge Intrepid. The van burst into flames, trapping mother and daughter inside.

Men, women and children, many crying softly, closed their eyes and raised their hands toward heaven during the morning service. Contemporary Christian and Hawaiian music filled the domed sanctuary. A woman performed traditional island dances.

On an altar covered with flowers sat photos of the smiling mother and daughter. They'd moved to Tampa a year ago from Seattle, and before that had lived in Hawaii several years.

In a short time, Cindy could bring people together, said friend Cookie Wicks.

"You can see how they impact people," said Wicks, who traveled from Dallas to attend the service. "This wasn't their home. They have been here only a year, and look at the number of people."

Along with her husband, Bruce, Cindy volunteered at the church and held a parenting discussion group every Sunday morning.

She also got involved with issues outside her community. When she learned a Washington teacher had been arrested for having a sexual relationship with a former student, Cindy and her husband went to the prison to counsel her, said Pastor Randy White.

Chelsea was remembered as a fun-loving girl who answered to the nicknames of Tofu, Munchkin and Little Buddy. She was an accomplished singer, performing with Celine Dion at the Ice Palace. She enjoyed ice skating, reading and drawing.

Cindy and Chelsea are survived by husband and father Bruce Murakami; sons and brothers Joshua and Brody Murakami; and grandfather and father Bob Smith.