Dear Nancy,
I offer my deepest condolences to you and your family. I only learned about Joe's passing from  the parish bulletin. Joe was a very gentle, kind and helpful man. I have missed both of you since the pandemic as I looked forward to see his smiling face ready to greet me when I went to Sunday mass. I will miss having him sitting in front of me when I am able to go to regular mass again in the future.  Take care and hope to see you soon.
Sincerely,
Pauline

We only just learned of Mr. Yamauchi’s passing.  With Nancy, she and Joe were the very best of neighbours - friendly and cheerful. That is what we missed most when they moved away. More than a neighbour, Joe was a wonderful presence - always so kind, open, productive, creative, generous with advice and time. He was such a great storyteller and shared many memories from his early days in Alberta, his school days, football days, setting up as an architect; I knew he was always a trailblazer in many ways, helping build his community but he was modest and always told those stories as if he was just pulling out a shiny marble from his pocket to show you how beautiful a little thing can be - a kind word, a smile, a little memory about how in the early days of his church they didn’t have pews so used to sit on apple and orange boxes; he’d remind me they were wooden crates back then. I loved those chats.

What Joe did show pride in was his family. Wow! That love and dedication was up front and so constant. I always enjoyed hearing him talk about his drives out to Calgary or letting us know how well one or the other grandchild did in school, or with a driver’s test, or what lovely young adults they’ve grown up to be.  How can they not be, with such a wonderful granddad as a mentor and role model? 

Sending deepest condolences to Nancy and the whole family. - Donna, Ken, Michael, & Mackenzie

I was very saddened to hear of Joe’s passing. I’ve been fortunate enough to have known him through my friendship with his daughter, Lauren. His love and pride in his family was evident in everything he did and due to his fine example, each one of them is as generous and loving as he was. 

I have many memories of him that are special, but two of them stand out as they are examples of how special he made the people around him feel. He went out of his way to make his famous and delicious salmon for one of my family parties and he also generously gave my brother, who was returning to his home in Japan, some special seafood to share with his friends and colleagues. That was Joe - always taking an interest in the people around him and giving each person a piece of his beautiful heart. I know his loss leaves a huge hole behind, but I know that if he can, he will remain vigilant over his daughters and their families in the years to come. May their memories of him be ever vibrant. ❤️

I am the daughter of Ron Watton who played football with Mr. Yamauchi and the BC Lions.  I believe Mr. Yamauchi was also in my parent's wedding party, which would explain why he was such a household name! 

My dad recently moved in with us and was reading the Vancouver Sun over morning coffee when he came across Joey's (Joe E.'s ??) obituary.  Dad had a smile on his face as his eyes teared up:  "he was a really good guy" he said.  

 I'm sorry these two men lost touch over the years.  Our sincere condolences for your loss.      

Albert and I were deeply saddened to see the Obituary Notice for Joe in the "Vancouver Sun", and we would like to offer our sincere condolences to his dear wife, Nancy, and beloved daughters Loren and Julianne and adored grandchildren.
Joe was a good man in every sense of the word, and it was a pleasure to have known him.  We are sincerely sorry for your great loss, and we hope and pray that all your precious memories will sustain you in the years to come.

Mrs. Yamauchi and family,
I have so many wonderful memories from spending so much of my childhood with your family.  I always looked forward to the weekend trips in the back of the station wagon listening to music as we drove to Whistler with you.  As Steve mentioned, Mr. Yamauchi fostered a love of skiing for me and I will always be truly thankful for that.  I now share the love of the mountains with my own children and hope one day they will look back on their memories of skiing with a smile.
If I wasn't at my own home, I could usually be found at yours.  I cherish the many family dinners we had together and the hours spent in the pool.  Mr. Yamauchi always treated me like one of his own, and was such a huge part of my upbringing.  A dear friend to my mom and dad, and like them, I will miss him dearly.  
Love  Allison, Rick, Will and Jaime

We are very sorry for your loss. I can't imagine how difficult a time this is, and our hearts go out to you and your family. I want you to know that both of you have had a profound impact on not only my life, but subsequently the lives of my children as well. I will never forget the many fabulous times our families spent together at Whistler. Not only did you foster a love of skiing in me, but more importantly a great appreciation of the quality family time gained when staying together at the mountain. Ever since my boys were very young I have made sure to set aside time during Christmas and March Breaks for a trip to a mountain with my boys. Now I have two teenagers who love to ski, hopefully one day they will be able to share those wonderful experiences with their families. Thank you for this introduction to such a fabulous family activity. Joe will always be loved and fondly remembered. With our love; Steve, Tyler and Ryan Reid

OBITUARY

Kimio Joe Yamauchi

3 March, 1933 – 24 January, 2021

Bell & Burnaby Funeral Chapel

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