WILLIAM (BILL) SHIGEKO KAGAWA

February 1, 1912 – November 9, 2017

William (Bill to his friends and Will to his family) Kagawa, passed away at the age of 94, in Pinole, CA on Thursday, November 9, 2017. Will, the second of three children, was born on February 1, 1923 in Lodi, CA to Kumakichi (Kay) and Kiyoko (Okamoto) Kagawa. His wife, Jeannette, his elder sister Grace, younger brother, George, and his fiancée Dorothy Okura all predeceased Will.

Will grew up helping his family on the farm, earning his black belt in Judo with his brother and competing on the swim team at Lodi High School. Will earned the nickname “Wild Bill” as a 90 mph fastball pitcher for the Lodi Templars of the Northern California Japanese American Baseball League. “I threw real hard, but I was wild sometimes.” He was on the 1940 Lodi squad that upset the San Pedro Skippers for the Nisei state championship. Will’s pitching skills for the Lodi Templars set the stage for his participation in the Nisei Baseball Research Project. The NBRP sponsored a traveling exhibit of “Diamonds in the Rough: Japanese Americans in Baseball” including an exhibit at the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY and the Japan Baseball Hall of Fame (Tokyo, Japan). Will traveled to both Cooperstown and Tokyo as one of the ambassadors of Nisei baseball.

In May 1942, Will and his family were interned at the Rohwer War Relocation Camp in Arkansas where Will lived for over 3 years before departing for Chicago, and then following job possibilities in St. Louis, where he found work and began his automotive career.

After WWII, Will returned to Lodi and got a job as a mechanic at a number of auto dealerships in Lodi, eventually partnering up with Masato (Mauch) Yamashita in 1961 to buy Pine Auto Supply. That partnership lasted until 2009 when the business was sold.

Will was an avid golfer and enjoyed traveling to play golf with his friends. It was only within the past few years that Will was unable to play, although he did set up a putting area inside his house. He had a love of animals that extended to caring for numerous cats.

Will is survived by his stepdaughters, Noelle Kukenas (Algis) and Robin Lara, his niece Marjorie Kagawa Singer (Peter), and nephews Doug Kagawa (Debra) and Bill Kagawa (Roberta), as well as extended family.

A memorial for Will is scheduled for January 20, 2018 at 1 PM at the Buddhist Church of Lodi. In lieu of flowers, please donate to your favorite animal charity.

Please sign the guest book at www.lodinews.com/ guestbook.