Kazuyoshi Morimoto

Kazuyoshi (Kay or Kaz) Morimoto passed away peacefully in his sleep on Tuesday, November 3, 2015. He was born to Gunichi and Yoshiko Morimoto on December 14, 1921 in Newcastle, Calif. He grew up in Auburn, California with his seven siblings Suzue Kimura, Akiko Matsuda, Masako Nakae, Yurie Ito, Emiko Yamanishi, Hiromi Morimoto and Hideo Morimoto.

He attended Placer High School, where he enjoyed playing basketball. After being interned for four years, he quickly moved on and worked briefly in Chicago tending roses. He returned to Auburn to help establish the family fruit orchard growing pears and plums. He loved nature and farming, and played a key role in the orchard's success. He was resourceful, and a man of many talents. He built the house that he raised his family in on the orchard. On November 18, 1964 he married Sadako Nakamaru. In addition to farming, he was the Maintenance Supervisor at the Auburn Faith Community Hospital where he worked for 29 years, earning the Employee of the Year award in 1979 and 1990. In recent years, he has been known for the delicious Satsuma Mandarins that he planted and grew after he retired from farming.

He is survived by his wife of 50 years Sadako Morimoto, four children Kaoru, Tatsuo, Yasuko, and Seiji and six grandchildren Nathan, Aaron, Emma, James Daniel, Jonathan Tyler, and Dan Junior.

He was always warm and friendly, with a smile and quirky sense of humor that he shared with those around him. He was a man of few words, but his actions always showed how important family was to him. Teaching by example, he let few things get him down and focused on getting on and making the best of it. He followed this credo until he passed--being brave and kind to the end.

Those wishing to pay their respects, the viewing will take place on Saturday, November 14, 2015 from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. at Chapel of the Hills Mortuary in Auburn, Calif. His funeral will take place on Sunday, November 15, 2015 at 2:00 p.m. at the Placer Buddhist Church in Penryn, Calif. In lieu of flowers, the family would like to make donations in his memory to either the Alzheimer's Association (please visit their website at www.alz.org/donate) or the Placer Buddhist Church (3192 Boyington Road, Penryn, Calif. 95663).