Roy Okimoto

On Monday the 19th of November my father Roy Okimoto passed away from injuries sustained in a traffic collision. Based on witness' and the CHP, the other car was excessively speeding and ran a red light. It is with a very saddened heart that I will try and write about my fathers life and my memories of him.

My father Roy's foremost legacy is his involvement in the automotive repair industry and his ownership of Okimoto's Automotive Center along with his wife Miki Okimoto. Roy's mechanical career started after he was released from a Japanese internment camp in Arkansas to be able to attend Wilbur Wright trade school in Detroit Michigan. Roy attended automotive school during the day, washed dishes at night and lived in a rented attic while starting toward what would be a fulfilling lifelong involvement in the automotive industry.

In 1947 the Okimoto brothers operated an auto repair shop in Wall Lake, Michigan called The Stone Front Garage. While in Michigan the brothers became locally famous for having the fastest modified stock car in Michigan, a stroked flat head Ford and were later sponsored by Chevrolet. They ran both cars at the same time and were twice State Champions. However, being originally from California, Michigan was just too darn cold. The Okimoto brothers and their growing families moved to Bellflower, California where they first took over Sievers Carburetors and Auto Parts in 1958.

Roy and his brothers then went on to build Sun Ray Automotive and Bellflower Auto Electric Parts store. From 1960 until 1980 Roy became involved in an automotive industry group called the Independent Garage Owners Association (I.G.O.A.) Chapter 1. This was the founding chapter that later evolved into what is know today as the ASCCA. My fathers passion for auto repair ran deep and he plunged in whenever and however possible, from selling auto parts at a warehouse distributor level to promoting Allen Test Equipment to the likes of gas station owners, such as Lou Webb, Dale Phillips and multiples of others.

In 1980 along with his younger brother Shiro, Roy started his own and present business Okimoto's Automotive Center in Norwalk CA. This facility has 30,000 square feet of auto repair, office and parts department that spans from street to street built under Roy and Miki's direction. Roy was working everyday when he passed away at 84 years of age. Roy leaves behind a legacy of having made impressions while mentoring and touching many peoples lives throughout his automotive career. I am very proud of my father having risen from walking behind two mules plowing a field, to being interned as a boy, to surviving the Korean War and with the help of his wife Miki in building a family empire that we are all grateful for.

I remember memories of being a youngster and giving my dad a massage for his tired back and afterward he would let me and my sister pluck the gray hairs out of his full head of dark black hair. He told me one of his goals in life was to retire at 40 years of age. He said, "if you work hard enough at something you can accomplish anything you want in life". However, my father did not retire at 40, partly because the two people plucking the gray hairs out of his head needed attention and were probably somewhat responsible for the gray hairs in the first place.

Roy is survived by his brother George Okimoto and wife Alice, sisters Yuki Matsuhiro and Kazi Fujii, sisters-in-law Mitzi Okimoto and Ruby Okimoto as well as a host of nieces, nephews, grand nieces and grand nephews.

Roy's family of his wife Misaki (Miki), Roy Jr., Ronald and wife Bobbie, Russell (Rusty) and Jacqueline, Marcia Rae, Rodney (all R's indeed) and four grandchildren Rachel, Steven, Robin and Mark will forever love and remember him.

There were still probably a few hands of Blackjack to be won and a few more cars to be repaired in my fathers life but it was a good life to be remembered by all. We thank you Roy for being a great husband, father, and grandfather to us all.

Til we meet again.

Love you

RustyO

The family requests that in lieu of flowers please send donations to:

Southeast Japanese School and Community Center

14615 S. Gridley Road

Norwalk, CA 90650

* * * * * * * * * *

March 21, 1928 to November 19, 2012

On Monday the 19th of November my father Roy Okimoto passed away from injuries sustained in a traffic collision. Based on witness' and the CHP, the other car was excessively speeding and ran a red light. It is with a very saddened heart that I will try and write about my fathers life and my memories of him.

My father Roy's foremost legacy is his involvement in the automotive repair industry and his ownership of Okimoto's Automotive Center along with his wife Miki Okimoto. Roy's mechanical career started after he was released from a Japanese internment camp in Arkansas to be able to attend Wilbur Wright trade school in Detroit Michigan. Roy attended automotive school during the day, washed dishes at night and lived in a rented attic while starting toward what would be a fulfilling lifelong involvement in the automotive industry.

In 1947 the Okimoto brothers operated an auto repair shop in Wall Lake, Michigan called The Stone Front Garage. While in Michigan the brothers became locally famous for having the fastest modified stock car in Michigan, a stroked flat head Ford and were later sponsored by Chevrolet. They ran both cars at the same time and were twice State Champions. However, being originally from California, Michigan was just too darn cold. The Okimoto brothers and their growing families moved to Bellflower, California where they first took over Sievers Carburetors and Auto Parts in 1958.

Roy and his brothers then went on to build Sun Ray Automotive and Bellflower Auto Electric Parts store. From 1960 until 1980 Roy became involved in an automotive industry group called the Independent Garage Owners Association (I.G.O.A.) Chapter 1. This was the founding chapter that later evolved into what is know today as the ASCCA. My fathers passion for auto repair ran deep and he plunged in whenever and however possible, from selling auto parts at a warehouse distributor level to promoting Allen Test Equipment to the likes of gas station owners, such as Lou Webb, Dale Phillips and multiples of others.

In 1980 along with his younger brother Shiro, Roy started his own and present business Okimoto's Automotive Center in Norwalk CA. This facility has 30,000 square feet of auto repair, office and parts department that spans from street to street built under Roy and Miki's direction. Roy was working everyday when he passed away at 84 years of age. Roy leaves behind a legacy of having made impressions while mentoring and touching many peoples lives throughout his automotive career. I am very proud of my father having risen from walking behind two mules plowing a field, to being interned as a boy, to surviving the Korean War and with the help of his wife Miki in building a family empire that we are all grateful for.

I remember memories of being a youngster and giving my dad a massage for his tired back and afterward he would let me and my sister pluck the gray hairs out of his full head of dark black hair. He told me one of his goals in life was to retire at 40 years of age. He said, "if you work hard enough at something you can accomplish anything you want in life". However, my father did not retire at 40, partly because the two people plucking the gray hairs out of his head needed attention and were probably somewhat responsible for the gray hairs in the first place.

Roy is survived by his brother George Okimoto and wife Alice, sisters Yuki Matsuhiro and Kazi Fujii, sisters-in-law Mitzi Okimoto and Ruby Okimoto as well as a host of nieces, nephews, grand nieces and grand nephews.

Roy's family of his wife Misaki (Miki), Roy Jr., Ronald and wife Bobbie, Russell (Rusty) and Jacqueline, Marcia Rae, Rodney (all R's indeed) and four grandchildren Rachel, Steven, Robin and Mark will forever love and remember him.

There were still probably a few hands of Blackjack to be won and a few more cars to be repaired in my fathers life but it was a good life to be remembered by all. We thank you Roy for being a great husband, father, and grandfather to us all.

Til we meet again.

Love you

RustyO

The family requests that in lieu of flowers please send donations to:

Southeast Japanese School and Community Center

14615 S. Gridley Road

Norwalk, CA 90650