"Eddie" Noboru Sakaguchi (1919-2019)
SAKAGUCHI, HASHIZUME, WAKAI
Posted By: Mark Christian
Date: 11/23/2019 at 21:12:24
From Stevens Memorial Chapel obituary, Ames, Story County, Iowa:
"Eddie" Noboru Sakaguchi, 100, of Ames, Iowa (formerly of Batavia, NY), passed away October 30, 2019. A memorial service will be held during the summer of 2020 in California. A full obituary may be viewed, and condolences may be expressed to the family, online at www.stevensmemorialchapel.com
“Eddie” Noboru Sakaguchi, 100, passed away peacefully from causes related to age, on October 30, 2019 at Northridge Village, Ames, Iowa, surrounded by his three sons.
Eddie was born January 2, 1919 to Tsunetaro and Tamae (Hashizume) Sakaguchi in San Pedro, California. At the age of 7, Eddie’s parents moved he and his younger brother and sister back to Japan where he continued elementary and junior high school. He attended a vocational high school where he learned the trade of chicken sexing. In 1937 Eddie returned to the United States. (However, because of his education in Japan, speaking and reading English was difficult for Eddie.) He soon moved to Batavia, NY, where he began chicken sexing at various chicken farms in western New York, including the Hawley poultry farm on Bank Street Road. During World War II, Eddie continued his work as a chicken sexor and appreciated that the citizens of Batavia did not harass him during and after the war because of his Japanese ancestry.
Eddie married Mary Masayo Wakai in 1949 and became the parents of 3 boys. Eddie moved his family into their house on East Main Street in 1957, where he raised his family and lived in that same house until 2011. Eddie retired from chicken sexing around 1984, but continued working part-time for several years at Elchar Tool Specialists (Alexander Rd, Batavia). While in Batavia, Eddie enjoyed photography and was a member of the Batavia Photography Club. He enjoyed the many friends he had made over the years in Batavia.
In 2011, Eddie relocated to Ames, Iowa, to be closer to his youngest son, Donald. During his time in Iowa, he lived alone in an apartment for several years, then moved to an assisted living facility and then spent his last two months in a skilled nursing facility. During those times Eddie occasionally asked Don or other residents and nurses to buy him a bus ticket back to Batavia. Dad had many good memories of Batavia.
Eddie was preceded in death by his parents, his wife of 35 years, Mary, and his brother and two sisters. He is survived by 3 sisters in Japan, 3 sons, Douglas (Maisie) of Orem, Utah, Wayne (Shirley) of Cypress, California, and Donald (Kathleen) of Ames, Iowa, a grandson, Farrant (Beth), and 3 great-grandchildren, Mari, Aaron & Michael, all of Sandy, Utah.
A memorial service will be held during the summer of 2020 in California.
http://www.stevensmemorialchapel.com/
Story Obituaries maintained by Mark Christian.
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