Fort Worth wardrobe supervisor and costume designer Masako Parshall was a mother to any dancer 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.
Masako’s dedication to meticulous and detail-oriented clothing made her a respected name in Fort Worth’s arts community.
“She always wanted to present people in costumes that they not only looked good in but also felt good in,” her daughter said.
Masako Parshall died Oct. 25 of natural causes inside her Fort Worth home. She was 89.
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’s ballets including “The Nutcracker,” “Cinderella” and “Dracula.” She also spent nine years at Casa Mañana Theatre.
On her penultimate day before retirement, Masako sat down with the Fort Worth Report to reflect on the legacy of her work.
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.
For officials with Texas Ballet Theater, Masako’s generosity will be remembered throughout the community.
“Her memory will live on through the countless lives she inspired and her beautiful costumes that still grace the stage,” the company wrote on Facebook.
Masako Parshall, center, poses with the backstage crew for the Texas Ballet Theater’s production of “The Nutcracker” in December 2023. (Courtesy photo | Martha Parshall)
Unlikely journey to Fort Worth
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, most of whom were civilians.
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’s daughter Martha at Tachikawa Air Force Base in Tokyo. Before the family’s move to America, Fred died.
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.
Following in her father’s footsteps, Masako trained as a tailor and made clothes for herself and her daughter.
Masako’s 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.
“I made clothes for them,” Masako said in June 2024. “Then they asked me to take this job, so I ended up here.”
Masako Parshall finishes mending costumes in her final week before retirement in June 2024. (Camilo Diaz | Fort Worth Report)
Jill Caughron, interim executive director with Texas Ballet Theater, will remember Masako for her passion and hard work ethic that “you don’t find in people anymore.”
“She was always in the back sewing away, working all kinds of crazy hours,” she said. “She left behind the art of her trade. She loved to brighten people’s day … she was always laughing.”
Masako’s 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.
She is survived by her daughter, Martha, and grandchildren Milo, Madeleine and Andrew Richards.
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)
David Moreno is the arts and culture reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at david.moreno@fortworthreport.org or @davidmreports.
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