Mr. Yoshio Arai

Born at VGH, he attended Mt. Pleasant Elementary School and later graduated from King Edward High School, Class of ’38. From 1942-49, after being stripped of their homes, business and possessions, Yosh and his family were interned in Grand Forks, BC by the Canadian government. In spite of the harsh treatment of Japanese Canadians during and after WWII, Yosh always remained proudly Canadian. He sang O Canada at every opportunity, displayed a Canadian flag in his dining room window every July 1, and faithfully attended Remembrance Day ceremonies every year until his legs could no longer manage the trip.

Predeceased by parents Kozo (1957) and Tomeko (1992), newborn sister Meiko (1933), wife Sumiko (1990), sister Misao (2024) and brother Kazuo (2024). Yosh was survived by just one day by his youngest daughter, Dianne, and by two weeks by his younger sister, Fumiko. He is survived by daughters Louise and Patricia (Terry), son-in-law Douglas, sisters Shizuko and Yukiko, grandchildren Brendan and Marisa, and many nieces and nephews.

After retirement, Yosh enjoyed many golf trips with friends, travel with his kids and grandkids, and also helped to establish the Kaede Seniors Society which provided opportunities for Japanese Canadian seniors to reconnect by gathering for activities such as ballroom and line dancing lessons, karaoke sessions, weekly golf games and an annual golf tournament. Together with others, many who have gone before him, Yosh gave his time generously to help with the annual Powell Street Festival Salmon BBQ. Yosh was also a 50+ year member and supporter of the YMCA.

Having a stroke at age 100 and needing to use a wheelchair as a result, Yosh spent the last four years of his life at South Granville Park Lodge. We are so grateful to the staff who went out of their way to make Yosh’s life as fulfilling as possible. And our sincere appreciation to the private companions from Nikoniko Home Care, most especially Keiko M., who worked hard to keep Yosh connected to the wider world around him and enabled him to make friends with everyone he met, including their pets! To Dr. Timothy Hsia – you are the type of doctor we all wish we could have . . . thank you for your steadfast kindness and compassion, without which things would have been much harder.

Visitation on Tuesday, June 2, 7:30 – 9:30pm at Forest Lawn Funeral Home, 3789 Royal Oak, Burnaby with funeral service on Wednesday, June 3 at 10:00am. Interment immediately following. Reception details to be confirmed at service. In lieu of flowers or koden, please consider a donation in Yosh’s memory to the Archives/Collections Division at Nikkei National Museum and Cultural Centre (https://centre.nikkeiplace.org/support-us/donate/) or to bccancerfoundation.com

Yosh was a kind and honourable man and we will miss him!