Tomohiro Matsukuma

Tomo was born in Tokyo, Japan on December 25, 1972 and was 51 years old when he passed after a hard fought battle with cancer.

Growing up, Tomo was actually a very shy child, and enjoyed building Legos, and reading books. Through his father’s influence, he was immersed in English language studies growing up which is how he became fully bilingual in both English and in Japanese.

He moved to the United States when he was 7 years old. Since then, he spent the last 44 years in Torrance where he called home. In 5th grade, he joined F.O.R and continued playing basketball until he graduated High School. Basketball was his passion, which was carried on to his 3 boys.

At the age of 25, he started up a restaurant called “Rice Things” in Redondo Beach. After the restaurant enjoyed much success, Rice Things was passed onto his parents and Tomo moved on to the alcohol distribution world. Although his restaurant days were behind him, he still had a passion for cooking and preparing great meals for those he loved.

Tomo met the love of his life and beloved wife, Chieko Matsukuma of 21 years. He met Chieko through a close friend in 2003 and got married in 2006 in Japan. Tomo was known for his strong will, unwavering determination, and love and support for his family and friends.

The last 13 years was spent working for Southern Glazer’s Wine and Spirits, where he enjoyed his time as a Sake Specialist, earning his WSET certification, representing as a Multi-Cultural Commissioner. He sincerely enjoyed and appreciated his time with Southern Glazer’s and truly loved his job.

Together with their 3 sons Noah (16), Liam (12), and Kai (9), the 5 of them spent countless hours enjoying each other’s time together and building a strong family.

He was their greatest supporter in life, and such a great father towards all 3 of his sons, never missing a school event and was deeply involved in their interests.

Tomo enjoyed good food, good drinks, good company, conversing with people from all walks of life, singing Karaoke and always made people laugh. He was truly a beacon of kindness and love, was always very generous and had a heart of gold, and will forever reside in our hearts.

We invite all who knew and loved Tomo to join us in celebrating his life and legacy. Your prayers and support mean so much to us during this time of grief.