Yoji George Kiyomoto

Yoji grew up in Reedley, California, attending Mt. Olive Elementary School and worked on a farm alongside his brothers and sisters, tending to the grapes and figs. Yoji and his older brother Seyichi often went to the nearby creek to look for discarded treasures. Sometimes they found automobile parts to repair their Ford Model T and golf balls from the nearby golf course to resell. His father often worried about Yoji’s health during his early childhood years due to his frequent visits to the doctor. To toughen him up, his father took him to judo and kendo classes. Apparently, it worked, because he was on the Fresno School District physical fitness honor roll for four consecutive years. During his time at Reedley High school, he was on the track & basketball teams, graduating in 1939.

After the outbreak of World War II, Yoji voluntarily evacuated Reedley, leaving his family behind to attend a UC sponsored international baby chick association school in Wisconsin. There, he earned his certificate in baby chick sexing, certifying his ability to be 98 % accurate when determining the sex of a baby chick. He was later employed as a baby chick sexer in Ohio and Wisconsin. During the off-seasons, he would also work at a metal machine shop manufacturing airplane parts. Yoji was able to purchase a car with the money from his chick sexing and metal machining jobs. He would drive back during vacation time to visit his family, who were unfortunately later forced to evacuate Reedley in August 1942 and live in the Poston Arizona Internment Camp 3.

During his time in Wisconsin, Yoji registered for military service and later received his Army draft notice in 1944 to report to Fort Sheridan, Illinois. He received his basic training with the 16th Battalion Armored Tank Division in Fort Knox, Kentucky and entered active duty in June 1945. The war ended while he was traveling on a train so he could embark on a military ship to the Pacific. He reunited in Reedley with his family, who had left the Poston Internment Camp and returned to the farm. He was honorably discharged in January 1946 at the rank of private, earning the World War II Victory Medal. He reenlisted with the Army later that month and was assigned to Fort Holabird, Maryland where he received training with the Military Intelligence Service Counter Intelligence Corps. After training, he was given the classification of Special Agent and transferred to the 441st Counter Intelligence Corps headquarters in Tokyo, Japan where he received further counter intelligence training. With the classification of Special Agent, he was stationed in Morioka, Japan and did counter intelligence in northern Japan. His orders included interviewing locals to assess their loyalty to Japan, looking for sabotage, espionage, and searching for weapons. He was honorably discharged in January 1947 at the rank of Sergeant earning the Counter Intelligence Badge and Army Occupation Medal. In 1947, he decided to reenlist and received an honorable discharge in 1950. He later went back to the farm in Reedley and drove trucks for his brother, Seyichi who owned a trucking business.

On January 20, 1951, Yoji married Lilyan Nagata in Dinuba, California. He later purchased a 48 acre farm in Reedley raising cotton, grapes, oranges, vegetables, peaches, plums, and nectarines. Together, they lovingly raised four children: Robert, Dianne, Michael, and Jeffrey. He served on Alta Elementary Board of Trustees, Reedley United Methodist Fellowship Church Board of Trustees, Reedley Cub Scouts Master, Reedley JACL President, Reedley Little League Team Manager, Reedley Sansei Baseball Team Manager, and VFW Nisei Sierra Post #4899 Commander. He enjoyed farming, fishing on the King’s River, hunting, attending sporting events at Reedley High School and College, and playing with his beautiful grandchildren. Yoji would often drive his grandchildren around in his pickup truck and let them eat the fruit he had grown from the farm. He also enjoyed treating his grandchildren to Werther’s Original candies hidden in his jacket pockets or taking them to his “coffee break” hangout for doughnuts. He was also very fond of dogs over his lifetime, lovingly raising Heidi, Aki, Luke, Smokie, Momo, and Coco. His love for dogs was passed down to his children and grandchildren. Every year Yoji and Lilyan would host the family for Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s. That tradition would continue, even after 2006, when his children convinced him to retire from farming in Reedley and move to Fresno to be closer to his son Robert, daughter Dianne, and grandchildren.

Speaker of the House of Representatives, John Boehner, sent Yoji an invitation to attend the Congressional Gold Medal awards ceremony at the U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C. On November 2, 2011, the Congressional Gold Medal was awarded to the brave loyal Nisei Japanese Americans who served in the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, 100th Infantry Battalion, and the Military Intelligence Service for their service and sacrifices during World War II. His fondest memory of the ceremony was receiving the award with brother-in-law Tamio Suyama and fellow VFW post members Clarence Suzuki and Hiroshi Isogawa, talking to Senator Daniel Inouye, touring the Capitol, and sightseeing around Washington D.C. with Lilyan.

Unfortunately, Yoji developed Alzheimer’s disease in his later years. He was lovingly cared for by his wife Lilyan, family, and caretakers. In 2015, he moved to Compass Pointe Memory Care in Fresno. After watching staff decorate the Christmas tree and telling them the tree was “standing crooked” the previous day, he peacefully passed away in his sleep on December 5, 2020.

He is survived by his sons Robert (Linda Pimentel), Michael (Debbie Montalban), and Jeffrey (Megumi Akai); grandchildren Kevin, Danelle (Jason Okabayashi), Douglas, Derek, and step grandchild Rayko; great grandchild Jayden and step great grandchild Ellie.

He is predeceased by his parents Tamekichi and Iyo; brothers Seyichi, Takayuki, and Yoneo; sisters Yoshiye Grace, Midori Dora, Meiko May, Machiko Marty, and June; wife Lilyan; and daughter Dianne.

A private burial service will be held for immediate family since it is the family’s desire that relatives and friends stay safe and healthy during the COVID pandemic. Expressions of condolences and fond memories can be entered on the Fresno Lisle Funeral Home website obituary.