Just shy of his 71st birthday, it is with great sadness we announce the passing of Minoru on October 2nd, 2019, after a 2 ½ year battle with bile duct cancer.
He was predeceased by his parents Tsuneo, Kuni, older brother Sadao and dogs Benji and Aniki. Minoru will be remembered by his wife of 45 years Tomoe, children Anne (Jay), Gene (Betty), Melody (Gio), grandchildren Kiarah, Janelle, Aleiah, Sayuri, Ximena and a grandson arriving in January 2020. He also leaves behind a younger sister Shigeko in Japan and many family and friends in Canada and Japan.
Minoru was born in 1948 in Fukushima, Japan. He grew up in the countryside and at the age of 19, decided to embark on an adventure and take the opportunity to immigrate to Canada. He first landed at the potato farms in Alberta, but soon moved to Vancouver.
He met his wife Tomoe in Vancouver and they married in 1974 where they had three children, Anne, Gene and Melody. In 1988, they moved to Burnaby and lived there ever since. He worked very hard over the years but mostly in the import/export industry of seafood where he was able to travel often to Alaska, Ecuador, Indonesia and various parts of Europe. He loved karaoke, BBQs, baseball, socializing, cars, Mountain Dew, Costco hot dogs, all you can eat sushi and beef with black bean sauce. He was known and dedicated for his gardening and checkerboard lawns. In his retirement, he enjoyed his weekly Costco visits, lunches with friends and travelling back to Japan.
The family would like to thank Dr. Yu and all the staff at BGH, the nurses, especially Katie who came to care for him while he was at home, as well as the wonderful staff at St. Michael's Hospice. He loved his remaining time at the Hospice while enjoying good food and many visits from family and friends.
Private service will be held with family and close friends.
In lieu of koden and flowers, please donate to St. Michael's Hospice, https://stmichaels.bc.ca/.