Haruki Harry Yoshizumi

Haruki Yoshizumi passed away peacefully on November 21, 2021 at the age of 99.He had been living in a wonderful residential care home ever since January of 2016 and had been declining in the last couple of weeks.

He was born in Stockton in 1922, the one son in a family with three daughters.The family lived in several places in California in his youth, finally settling in Watsonville. He was a Renaissance man, with interests in music (violin, viola, clarinet, piano), painting, as well as more technical pursuits such as model airplanes, photography, and electronics.

He, along with the rest of his family, was imprisoned in the Poston internment camp in the Arizona desert during World War II, working in the camp hospital and mess hall. He painted many scenes of camp life while there, and was one of four who painted an elaborate mural in the camp library. After the war, he spent two years in the U.S. Army Allied Translation Interpreter Service in Tokyo, Japan.

After his honorable discharge, he attended various art schools in California, did farm work, and attended school to study electronics, ultimately working for IBM until he retired. He eventually built a studio in his back yard at nearly 70 years old where he continued to paint until arthritis made it too difficult.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Mitsue, and three sisters, Florence Matsushita, Kazuo Shimonishi, and Lillian Etow. He is survived by 8 nieces and nephews..