Sam Koji Sagara

Sam Koji Sagara was born on February 15, 1928 in Gardena, California, the fourth of eight children born to Tokiya and Kiyoko Sagara. Sometime in the 1930s, the Sagaras moved from Los Angeles to San Juan Bautista and later to Watsonville for agricultural work. In 1942, Executive Order 9066 authorized the forced removal of Japanese immigrants and Japanese Americans from the West Coast to incarceration camps. The Sagaras reported to Salinas Assembly Center and were sent to Poston Incarceration Camp in Arizona. In 1943, they were sent to Tule Lake Incarceration Camp in California where they remained for the duration of the war. All of the Sagara family except Sam and his eldest brother repatriated to Japan following their release at the end of World War II. At age 17, Sam found himself on his own. He decided to move to Chicago with a friend who was moving there to be near relatives.

In 1950, Sam was drafted into the U.S. Army and served in Korea. He was awarded a Soldier’s Medal in 1952 for meritorious service in connection with military operations against an armed enemy. Back in Chicago, Sam had a steady job at United Parcel Service and over time saved money to pay legal and other fees to bring his parents and siblings back to the U.S. from Japan. In the early 1960s, Sam returned to Los Angeles and worked as a designer in the electronics and aerospace industries. He met his wife Elsa in 1973 while on vacation in Mexico and they married in 1975. They had their only child the following year. In 1987, Sam bought his first home and moved the family from Alhambra to Moreno Valley.

At the age of 63 when most of his counterparts were slowing down, Sam earned an Associate Degree in Science from Riverside Community College. He remained active throughout his life and enjoyed traveling, bowling, fishing, following his favorite baseball and basketball teams, taking care of his orange trees, and walking every day. He will be remembered for his strength and perseverance, independent spirit, and his love for and dedication to his family. He is survived by his wife, Elsa; daughter Rosalind and son-in-law Matt; siblings, Jane Okimoto, Ann Nishimura, and Nobuhiko Sagara; and numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, Tokiya and Kiyoko (Yoshikawa); and siblings, Yuriko Nakao, Tadashi Sagara, Florence Miyata, and George Sagara.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to Greater LA Fisher House (https://www.greaterlafisherhouse.org/donors) in memory of Sam Koji Sagara.

A funeral service for Sam will be held Tuesday, June 27, 2023 from 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM at St. Andrew Newman Center, 105 W Big Springs Rd, Riverside, CA 92507. Following the funeral service will be a committal service from 1:45 PM to 2:15 PM at Riverside National Cemetery, 22495 Van Buren Boulevard, Riverside, CA 92518.