Florence Emiko Yanaga née Florence Emiko Endo, known as Flo, was born on the island of Maui on August 26, 1928. Being the middle child of her parents, Haru and Satoshi Endo, she was a "Nisei" second generation Japanese American. Her parents were the first generation to immigrate from Japan.

Flo grew up on Maui and went to high school there. One of her summer jobs was working in a pineapple canning factory. At age 17, she and her older sister, Grace, and younger brother, Bob, were sent to the mainland for greater opportunities. She went to cosmetology school (beauty school) to become a hairdresser. She lived in a diverse boarding house called "Brotherhood House" where she met her future husband, Hason Yanaga.

They married in 1950 and lived in Denver, Colorado then in Aurora, Colorado. Flo work as a hairdresser and then a stay-at-home mom. There were several activities that Flo enjoyed — spending time with family, going to the casino in Blackhawk, Colorado, playing poker and solving jigsaw puzzles. She liked Japanese food and shopping at the Japanese grocery store.

She is survived by daughters, Valerie Appelbaum (husband Alan), Denise Livingston (husband Steve and son, Gierma) and Naomi Wilsey (husband David and sons D.J. and Scott.) Flo spent her last days at the Gardens at Columbine with tender care from family and the staff. She passed away peacefully on September 8, 2025 — two weeks after her 97th birthday. Her ashes will be interred at Fort Logan National Cemetery next to her departed husband and veteran, Hason Yanaga in Denver, and on the island of Maui in Wailuku.

In lieu of flowers the family suggests that donations be made to the Japan Society of Colorado.