Tokunaga Nakai

Tokunaga “Tom” Nakai was born on January 31, 1916 in Wakayama, Japan. He passed away peacefully on October 25, 2015. At the age of 15, he was sent to the west coast of Canada to pay off his father’s debts. He spoke not one word of English. His father had come earlier to Canada to find work in order to support his wife and four children back in Japan, but unlucky in business, he ended up in financial ruin. He fled from his creditors. Tom worked 12 years, mostly as a fisherman, to pay off his father’s debts.

He married Matsue Koshiba on February 11, 1942.

When Japan bombed Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, the Japanese were either placed in concentration camps or made to work inland on sugar beet farms. Tom, his wife and mother-in-law opted to work on a sugar beet farm in the central province of Manitoba. They were responsible for harvesting 30 acres. His two children, daughter Keiko and son Tad, were born during the five years spent on the farm.

After the war, the family moved to Winnipeg, the capital of Manitoba, where Tom found work as a crane operator for Anthes Imperial, a company that produced cast iron pipes. He often worked in -40F temperatures in the winter time, but he never got sick. Tom took precautions as a crane operator, arriving during the winter months an hour before start time to remove ice from the lines. As a result, no accidents ever took place on his watch. In appreciation, he was appointed head of the Safety Committee. He was also appointed fire chief because he was constantly on the lookout for fires from his position as crane operator. All this from someone who barely spoke English!

Tom worked hard, not only for Anthes Imperial, but also for his family and home, his church and the Japanese community. He also loved fishing, and the family would spend summer weekends at Falcon Lake or Seven Sister Lake where Tom would catch trout, goldeye, pickerel and jack fish.

He retired from Anthes Imperial at the age of 65 and then worked for Ed Beckar Community Chevrolet Oldsmobile car dealership until 72. He worked so hard that he eventually replaced 5 workers. He was beloved by all. He was given a huge birthday party for the first time in the history of the company and also received an appreciation plaque for his hard work.

In 2013, Tom moved from Winnipeg to his daughter’s home in Houston after being diagnosed with macular degeneration in both eyes. He spent his last years reading Japanese books and magazines using a low vision reading machine, playing Solitaire and socializing with family and friends. He will be remembered for his winning smile, his love of life, and his optimism.

Tom is survived by his daughter, Keiko Horton & her husband Brad, his son Dr. Tadashi Nakai & his wife Lee-Anne, his grandsons Pagogh Cho, Mark, Nicholas & AJ Nakai, his granddaughters Cassie & Celeste Nakai, and his great-grandsons Grant & Colin Cho.

Honoring his wishes, Tom’s cremains will be buried next to his wife, Matsue, at the Chapel Lawn Cemetery, Winnipeg on Saturday, November 7 in a graveside service attended by family and several friends.