Fred Sunao Kitajima

FRED SUNAO KITAJIMA Passed away peacefully in San Jose, California on February 15, 2013 at the age of 93 of cancer. Born in Honolulu, Hawaii on October 10, 1919, son of Junpei and Sakae Kitajima. At an early age he moved to the Bay Area and joined his older brother Kitao in the family produce business. He was inducted into the U.S. Army in 1941 and assigned to the Military Intelligence Service (MIS). He served in both WWII and the Korean War until his discharge in 1946.

After the war, Fred earned a BA in Chemistry from U.C. Berkeley in 1952. He was introduced to Dorothy (Eiko) Sassa of British Columbia, Canada, when she was visiting the Bay Area, and they were married a short time later on Fred’s birthday in 1953. They relocated to San Jose in 1958 and have been residents there ever since. Fred was a union member in the UFCW and worked as a retail clerk until his retirement in 1982. In his spare time, he supplemented the family income with electronics repair in his garage workshop.

Fred was always interested in travel, but with a family of six, the annual summer trips were limited to anywhere that was reachable by station wagon. That included almost every national park in the Western United States, plus every third year to visit Dorothy’s family in Canada.

After raising four children, Fred and Dorothy were finally able to travel internationally, including a return trip to South Korea where he served in the Army. Many of their trips participated with then-retired Senator McCorquodale. He was an avid Oakland Athletics fan and season ticket holder. Fred was an active member of Yu-Ai Kai Japanese American Senior Service, where he also volunteered tax services.

Fred was a tireless contributor to the efforts to get recognition for the Nisei WWII and Korean War veterans. Some of their results included the movie “Uncommon Courage” and the “Go for Broke” monument. In 2011, Fred's MIS unit was recognized and awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in Washington D.C., for their dedicated service and loyalty.

He is survived by his wife Dorothy, son Gary (Lynette), daughters Sharon & Darlene (Bob), grandchildren Aaron (Michelle) and Megan, and great-grandchild Jerome. He was preceded in death by his daughter Carol.

Funeral Services will be held on Sunday, March 10, 2013 at 1:00 p.m. in the Chapel of Roses, Oak Hill Memorial Park, 300 Curtner Ave., San Jose, CA 95125. Reception with light refreshments to follow at Yu-Ai Kai, 588 N. 4th St., San Jose 95112