My Dad, the great Dr. Craig Kiyoshi Hisaka, passed away peacefully June 12, 2019 in Stockton, CA at the age of 73. To me and many others, he was a hero and role model, the man we looked up to and dreamed of emulating. He profoundly impacted the community because he was a compassionate man. And compassion was rooted in everything he did as a family man, friend, professor, and doctor.
As a businessman, he built a successful [Brookside] optometric practice and taught hundreds of students at UC Berkeley School of Optometry the importance of personalized care — where kindness, loyalty, and respect were valued and demonstrated every day. And as a father, brother, uncle and great uncle, he always put family first. He made more sacrifices than anyone could ask for so we could focus on becoming the best versions of ourselves.
I will always miss seeing him wear his sunglasses indoors. Or how he went from dressing in all black to dark blue to neon. When he’d swim in our pool with a wetsuit on in the dead of winter. How he made sure we’d arrive at the airport at least three hours before a flight so we didn’t miss it. When he’d eat boiled chicken and compare it to Michelin-starred dining. How much he loved the Raiders and never missed a game. More than anything, I’ll just miss his presence. Every day of his life began and ended with the values, humor, and warmth he delivered to others, and that’s what makes him the great Dr. Craig Hisaka.
Craig is survived by me, his daughter, Alexis (Tom) Hisaka. He also leaves behind his brother Dr. Eric (Marlene) Hisaka and sister Deanne (Dennis) Walker; his brother-in-laws Dennis (Joyce) Mitome and Gary (Janice) Mitome; his nephews Ross (Ellen) Walker, Steve (Sabrina) Mitome and Michael Hisaka; his nieces Dr. Kristin Walker, Susie (Alex) Mitome, Bryce Mitome, and Nicole Hisaka; his grandnephews Nicholas Walker, Ford Walker, Dillon Mitome, and Jeffrey Mitome; and grandnieces Kate Walker, Presley Walker, Tess Walker, Madi Mitome, Dawn Mitome, and Eranthe Mitome. Craig was preceded in death by his father Art Isanu Hisaka, his mother Kate Mutsuko Hisaka, and wife Julie Karin Hisaka.
Please join us to celebrate Craig’s life on Sunday, June 30th at 11:00 AM at the Stockton Buddhist Temple at 2820 Shimizu Drive, Stockton, California 95203. Inurnment will be private. Messages to the family can be shared at deyoungchapels.com.
COMPARTA UN OBITUARIOCOMPARTA
v.1.11.6