{"id":31153,"date":"2025-11-01T20:21:13","date_gmt":"2025-11-01T20:21:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/31153\/"},"modified":"2025-11-01T20:21:13","modified_gmt":"2025-11-01T20:21:13","slug":"longtime-fort-worth-costume-designer-masako-parshall-dies-at-89","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/31153\/","title":{"rendered":"Longtime Fort Worth costume designer Masako Parshall dies at 89"},"content":{"rendered":"

Fort Worth wardrobe supervisor and costume designer Masako Parshall was a mother to any\u00a0dancer or performer she dressed. She let people know she would do the best for them, but she always said they better follow her rules, her daughter, Martha Parshall, said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Masako\u2019s dedication to meticulous and detail-oriented clothing made her a respected name in Fort Worth\u2019s arts community.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cShe always wanted to present people in costumes that they not only looked good in but also felt good in,\u201d her daughter said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Masako Parshall died Oct. 25 of natural causes inside her Fort Worth home. She was 89.\u00a0<\/p>\n

She spent over three decades working as the wardrobe manager for the Texas Ballet Theater, previously known as Fort Worth Ballet, before her retirement in June 2024. She worked on costumes for several of the company\u2019s ballets including \u201cThe Nutcracker,\u201d \u201cCinderella\u201d and \u201cDracula.\u201d She also spent nine years at Casa Ma\u00f1ana Theatre.\u00a0<\/p>\n

On her penultimate day before retirement, Masako sat down with the Fort Worth Report to reflect on the legacy of her work<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"YouTube<\/p>\n

Masako spent her final year resting and enjoying various theater shows and ballet performances across North Texas, said Martha, who is also an instructor with Texas Ballet Theater.\u00a0<\/p>\n

For officials with Texas Ballet Theater, Masako\u2019s generosity will be remembered throughout the community.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cHer memory will live on through the countless lives she inspired and her beautiful costumes that still grace the stage,\u201d the company wrote on Facebook<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Masako Parshall, center, poses with the backstage crew for the Texas Ballet Theater\u2019s production of \u201cThe Nutcracker\u201d in December 2023. (Courtesy photo | Martha Parshall)<\/p>\n

Unlikely journey to Fort Worth<\/p>\n

Masako was born May 8, 1936, in Japan. She survived the U.S. bombing of Hiroshima in 1945, which killed an estimated 140,000 people<\/a>, most of whom were civilians.<\/p>\n

Later she married Maj. Fred Nathan Parshall Jr., who served in the U.S. Army during World War II and the Korean War. Masako became a U.S. citizen and gave birth to the couple\u2019s daughter Martha at Tachikawa Air Force Base in Tokyo. Before the family\u2019s move to America, Fred died.<\/p>\n

Family and friends tried to convince her to move to one of the coasts where there was a higher concentration of Japanese Americans. But after some research, Masako felt North Texas was the best fit due to its proximity to Carswell Air Force Base.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Following in her father\u2019s footsteps, Masako trained as a tailor and made clothes for herself and her daughter.<\/p>\n

Masako\u2019s intricate work drew the attention of several women at her church and one of the board members of the Fort Worth Ballet, who recommended her for a position with the company.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI made clothes for them,\u201d Masako said in June 2024. \u201cThen they asked me to take this job, so I ended up here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Masako Parshall finishes mending costumes in her final week before retirement in June 2024. (Camilo Diaz | Fort Worth Report)<\/p>\n

Jill Caughron, interim executive director with Texas Ballet Theater, will remember Masako for her passion and hard work ethic that \u201cyou don\u2019t find in people anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe was always in the back sewing away, working all kinds of crazy hours,\u201d she said. \u201cShe left behind the art of her trade. She loved to brighten people\u2019s day \u2026 she was always laughing.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Masako\u2019s family will hold a memorial and celebration of life in summer 2026. She will be buried alongside her husband at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.<\/p>\n

She is survived by her daughter, Martha, and grandchildren Milo, Madeleine and Andrew Richards.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Masako Parshall, longtime wardrobe manager for the Texas Ballet Theater, finishes mending costumes in her final week before retirement in June 2024. (Camilo Diaz | Fort Worth Report)<\/p>\n

David Moreno is the arts and culture reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at david.moreno@fortworthreport.org or @davidmreports<\/a>.<\/p>\n

At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Fort Worth Report is certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative<\/a> for adhering to standards for ethical journalism.<\/p>\n

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