Steven was the "baby" of the family to older siblings Ann, Alan and Susan until 12 years old when younger brother, Bruce, was born. Steven was rambunctious as a child, he walked to & from school (uphill both ways), played little league baseball & attended Dharma School. The Tomiyama family enjoyed vacations, including trips to Disneyland and visits with family in Southern California, and celebrating birthdays and holidays together.
Steven met Akie Santohigashi at the Buddhist Temple of San Diego through Jr. YBA. Steven and Akie married on October 25, 1969 and began their life in North Park. Son Garrick was born in 1970 and daughter Lorin was born in 1972. Steven graduated from San Diego State University and he began his career in title insurance at Safeco in 1972.
Steven was an active dad – making big weekend breakfasts of home-made potato chips, pancakes or waffles, attending soccer games & pacing along the sidelines at the close games, and taking the family on trips to national parks (Grand Canyon, Yosemite, Sequoia, Zion, Bryce), to San Francisco, Colorado & Texas, to Vancouver for Expo ’86 & Disney World in Orlando.
During his time in Y-Indian Guides with Garrick, Steven learned to fish, which became a passion in his life through to the end. Steven traveled to Loreto, Mexico each May for a week-long trip with his buddies for 30 years. He also became an expert rod-builder & shared his passion & knowledge with friends. In the past few years, he continued to enjoy fishing through his rod building club and via YouTube.
Steven and Akie loved to travel and also began cruising in his retirement years. Together and with family, they traveled to throughout the continental US, Alaska, Hawaii, Japan, China & Italy. Steven invested in time share properties to ensure our family vacationed together as we grew.
At the ripe age of 52, Steven became a grandfather to Hailey and Jackson in 2000 and to Thomas, Chad and Jenna in 2002. He spent countless hours babysitting & planning new family adventures. He planned the family trips to Disneyland, Hawaii, Orlando, Breckenridge, Williamsburg, Park City and Japan.
After being diagnosed with Parkinson’s /MSA in 2016, Steven continued to devote his time to his passions of fishing, traveling, food and family. In October 2019, Steven and Akie celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary with a cruise to Japan & China, where he checked off the Great Wall of China from his bucket list. He also enjoyed a Mexican Riviera Cruise and a trip to Disneyland in early 2020 before the world changed due to the Coronavirus.
At the end of his life, Steven was surrounded by his family & friends and found comfort in the Nembutsu, his Buddhist faith.
Steven passed away on May 7, 2021 at the age of 72. He is survived by his wife of 51 years, Akie, son Garrick, daughter Lorin, son-in-law Brian and grandchildren Hailey, Jackson, Thomas, Chad and Jenna.
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