HIROSHI FUJIKAWA
Hiroshi Fujikawa passed away on Thursday, April 13, at Arbor Nursing Center in Lodi, CA after several bouts of pneumonia. He was 93 years old.
Hiroshi was born in Honolulu, Hawaii on August 13, 1923. He grew up in Honolulu, on a Macadamia nut farm called Nutridge, on Mount Tantalus, where his father worked. It overlooked the city and Waikiki.
He observed the destruction of Pearl Harbor in 1941 from this vantage point. He was a student at the University of Hawaii and enlisted in the Army in 1943. He received training for Military Intelligence Service (MIS) at Camp Savage in Minnesota, and was stationed in Washington D.C. He was discharged from the Army in January 1946.
Hiroshi attended UC Berkeley and met Masako Hiramoto, both graduating in 1948. They were married in December 1949, while he was attending pharmacy school, first in Salt Lake City, Utah then in San Francisco, CA where they welcomed the birth of their first daughter Leslie. After graduating in 1952, they moved to Honolulu, Hawaii for a short time, then returned to California to settle in Lodi in the mid-1950’s, where they remained to this day. Masako passed away just months ago in February 2017. They were married for 67 years.
Hiroshi and a partner acquired Snyder’s Pharmacy on Cherokee Lane in the late-1950’s. He became sole owner in 1965, working 7 days a week until 10pm each night. Daughter Kathy became his relief pharmacist after receiving her license in 1980, providing much needed time off for him. He closed the store and retired in 1995.
Hiroshi enjoyed fishing in the many rivers in the foothills with the family. He practiced Judo and Aikido in the 1950’s and 60’s, achieving black belts in both. He took up golf soon after retiring and enjoyed it for many years.
Hiroshi is survived by children Leslie Mincey (husband Terry), Jean Fujikawa, Kathy Fujikawa Davis, Ellen Fujikawa and John Fujikawa (wife Nahal, daughters Leora and Layla), and in Oahu, Hawaii sisters Doris Kimiye Inouye, Ann Nobuko Sasaki, Mary Sadako Mikasa, brother Cliff Yasuo Fujikawa, also inlaws Keiko Hiramoto Hess (husband Claude M.) of El Sobrante, CA, and Ruby Hiramoto of El Cerrito, and many nieces and nephews.
A Memorial service will be held on Saturday, May 6, 2017, at 10a.m. at the Buddhist Church of Lodi, 23 N. Stockton Street in Lodi.
Hiroshi will be dearly missed.
Donations may be made to the Buddhist Church of Lodi.
Please sign the guest book at www.lodinews.com/ guestbook.