Taiko "Tai" Nees

Taiko (Tai) Nees, 86, of Oklahoma City passed away peacefully and surrounded by loving family on May 31, 2025. Tai was born on December 2, 1938 in Chiba,Japan to Fumi Hoshi and was raised and educated there and in Aizu-wakamatsu, Japan. She came to America in 1965 and raised her five children initially as a homemaker then as a single mother starting in 1976. That year, she began working nights while going to school during the day to put herself through first LPN then RN school. Taiko accomplished all of this despite daunting obstacles including a language barrier, little financial support, having no driver’s license initially, and surviving stage III breast cancer. She excelled as a nurse and worked on the cardiac ward where she eventually rose to charge nurse. In a career that spanned 25 years, Tai touched many lives and was highly respected as a nurse.

Taiko had an adventurous spirit manifested in her love to drive and travel to see new places and people and try new foods and experiences. She was a gifted artist whose works will be forever treasured by family and friends. Tai loved collecting nutcrackers and amassed a collection that numbers in the thousands! She devoted her life and sacrificed endlessly to give her children every opportunity to succeed. Family was the center of her world…her greatest source of pride and joy and love. Nothing brought her more happiness than being surrounded by her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren..

Taiko is preceded in death by her beloved daughter, Jill Nees-Russell. She is survived by her four children, Jennifer, Jeffrey, Jeremy, and Juliet; sixteen grandchildren, Madison, Braden, Pierson, Hannah, Colin, Madeline, Henry, Lily, Neeson, Nolen, Nox, Tanner, Keegan, Asher, Peyton, and Finley; and two great grandchildren, Theodore and Murphy. Tai is also survived by her mother and extended family in Japan.

A private service will be held for family only. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that you consider a donation to the Kids Korral, The Toby Keith Foundation in Taiko’s honor. www.tobykeithfoundation.org/donations

Kazoku to wa shizen ga tsukuridashita kessaku no hitotsu de aru

(“The family is one of nature’s masterpieces”)