Mr. Herbert Minoru Tsuchiya

Herbert Minoru Tsuchiya’s three rules of life: “Be Kind, Be Kind, Be Kind.” Herb’s devout Christian faith and these 3 rules steered his life of caring for, giving to, helping and serving others. Born in Seattle (1932), the seventh child of immigrant parents (Nobuyoshi Tsuchiya and Momoyo Miiya from Hiroshima Prefecture), Herb the “yancha bozu” (little rascal) became a distinguished pharmacist for 50 years, outstanding community volunteer, husband of Bertha Chinn Lung Tsuchiya, father of 5 children, 12 grandchildren and great grandfather of three. His love of family was matched with his commitment to community volunteerism, community theater acting, mentoring, serving as “Uncle Herb” to countless people and being the ever Optimist.

In 1942, Herb and his family along with 120,000 Americans of Japanese ancestry were forcibly removed from their homes and the Tsuchiya family was sent to the Minidoka War Relocation prison camp in Hunt, Idaho until their release in 1945. During the family’s incarceration at Minidoka, four of his brothers served in the U.S. military. His post-Minidoka path led to graduation from Franklin High School and the UW School of Pharmacy, opening his Genesee Street Pharmacy in Rainier Valley, working as a clinic pharmacy manager at Columbia Health Center Pharmacy and Rainier Park Medical Clinic. He created the Herbert & Bertha Tsuchiya Endowed Student Support Fund for Global Research at the UW School of Pharmacy to honor Bertha (herself a UW School of Pharmacy graduate). Herb’s professional honors are wide-ranging including A.H. Robins/Wyeth Bowl of Hygeia Award, UW Distinguished Alumnus Award for Excellence in Pharmacy Practice and Seattle Mayor’s Small Business Award.

Herb’s community service, a major cornerstone of his life, notably included but was not limited to co-founding the Walk For Rice to fund the Asian Counseling and Referral Service food bank for culturally familiar foods for the AAPI communities, co-founding Kin On Health Care Center, (nation’s first nursing home operated by the Chinese community to serve non-English speaking Asian people), serving as president of Asian American Baptist Caucus, member of Chinese Baptist Church, and charter member of the Wing Luke Museum. His service to others has been recognized and honored with the Jitsuo Morikawa Evangelism American Baptist Churches National Award, National Philanthropy Day Outstanding Philanthropic Family Award, Organization of Chinese Americans Golden Circle Award, Seattle Mayor’s End Hunger Award, Northwest Asian Weekly Visionary Award, Franklin High School Hall of Fame, Rainier Valley Historical Society History Maker Award, and the Asian Bar Association of Washington Community Service Award.

Herb’s acting roles in community theater productions of “Uncle Hideki” and its sequel “Uncle Hideki and the Empty Nest” supported local theater acting and production companies while relating the stories of Asian Americans. “Breaking the Silence” involved the Japanese American history and experiences from immigration, incarceration during WWII and redress post WWII experiences that Herb and his family actually lived and immeasurably shaped his life path. This play was performed nationally and even toured in Hiroshima, Japan, affording Herb, the cast and crew an opportunity to educate many in both countries of immigrant realities as well as social justice and civil rights struggles encountered by Japanese Americans like him.

Herb positively touched the lives of many people with kindness, compassion and humor. “Uncle Herb” often light heartedly referred to his vocation as a “legal drug dealer.” Perhaps, as described by an executive director of a community organization, Herb was more appropriately a “Renaissance Man of Service.”

He was preceded in death by his much beloved wife Bertha Chinn Lung Tsuchiya, who shared Herb’s values and religious faith, his sister and brothers Joe, Harold, Carl, Ray, and Jack. He was the loving father of Gloria Lung Wakayama (Dean), Kerry Lung Chew (Ben), Lori Pang (Doug), Leslie Lung (Linda) and Teri Yoshimura (Ross), cherished grandfather of 12 grandchildren: Kimberly (Hendra), Michael (Abbie), Julie (Justin), Lindsay, Gary, Patti, Brady, Kaci, Alyssa, Cory, Makena, Kyra and 3 great grandchildren. He will be greatly missed by godson Kevin Chinn (Eileen), in-laws Wally and Deanna Chinn and numerous nieces and nephews.

A Celebration of Herb’s Life will be held at Crossroads Bible Church, 15815 SE 37th St. Bellevue, Washington on November 25, 2023 at 11 am. The Celebration of Life will also be livestreamed at: https://cbcbellevue.com/memorial

Remembrances may be made to:

“Walk For Rice” at Asian Counseling & Referral Services https://give.acrs.org/event/walk-for-rice-2023/e481850,

Chinese Baptist Church https://seattlecbc.org/ and

Wing Luke Museum www.wingluke.org