Yoshio Inomata

Yoshio was born in Nagoya, Japan to the late Koichi and Nobuko Inomata. He and his family moved to Tokyo when he was two. They were greatly impacted by the B-29 bombings during the Second World War and had to be evacuated.

After graduating from Shinjku High School and the University of Tokyo, Yoshio attended Fred Hardeman and Harding Universities in the United States. His father sent him to this country to learn English.

He is survived by his wife, Suzanne Lois (Speer) of Orleans, to whom he was married for fifty-three years; their two sons, Kenji of Phoenix, Arizona, and Tomio and his wife, Colette, of Atlanta, Georgia; five grandchildren, Alexandra, Kayla, Felicia, Carter, and Parker. Yoshio is also survived by his two sisters, Etsuko Sasa and Hiroko Goshi, and a brother, Tadeo Inomata, all of Tokyo.

As a lover of music Yoshio was a member of many male quartets at church, in high school and college. His dream of working in music in New York City was fulfilled when he became senior vice president of The Harry Fox Agency. Previously he served as chief of Operations at Shawnee Press, then vice president of Summy-Birchard Music.

Yoshio and his wife moved to Cape Cod where they became professed members of the Community of Jesus. He served on the Orleans Finance Committee, was an enthusiastic member of the Orleans Coffee Club, and of the Republican Club of Orleans.

Yoshio loved being a father. He taught his sons to fish, to become musicians, and supported their athletic interests. He was an accomplished wood worker and gardener, providing many households with the abundance of his Japanese vegetables.

The funeral mass will be celebrated on December 17, 2015 at 11:00 AM at the Church of the Transfiguration at Rock Harbor, Orleans. Interment will be at the Orleans Cemetery on Tonset Road.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Yoshio’s name may be given to The Community of Jesus.