Kazuhisa Takeuchi’s wife, Yuriko, holds a photograph of her father, Tadashi Onodera (who survived the tsunami by floating on a mattress), and her mother, Tomiko, who died in Kesennuma. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)
Kesennuma has a sizeable elderly population, many of whom were unable to evacuate in time. Though its bay is set back far from the open sea, the tsunami roared inland, causing rampant destruction. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)
Shiho Takeuchi visits her grandfather, Tadashi Onodera, 81, who survived the tsunami after his mattress was swept up by waves that carried him to safety atop a roof. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)
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Hideo Sasaki, at right, was at his mother-in-law Tomiko Onodera’s side when she died in the hours after the earthquake. The family prepares for a wake for Tomiko (shown in a photo) at the home of a relative in Akita Prefecture. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)
