GEORGE AOYAMA
March 17, 1927 – April 12, 2023
George Aoyama passed away on April 12, 2023, at the age of 96. He was born on March 17, 1927, to Naojiro Aoyama and Suye Tanaka in Seattle, WA. One of 8 children, George grew up in Seattle when as a teen his family was incarcerated at “Camp Harmony”, the temporary detention center in Puyallup, and later sent to the Minidoka concentration camp in Idaho during World War II.
As a youth and young adult, George played baseball, and later enjoyed bowling at Imperial Lanes in Seattle. He was an avid golfer and a longtime member of the Bayview Nisei Golf Club. He was also a devoted member of the Nisei Veterans Committee. George served in the U.S. military and was honorably discharged in 1947.
George was preceded in death by brothers Sakae, Shigeru, and Katchi; and sisters Mariko Mano, June Yamada, and Tokio Izumi. He is survived by sister Anne Moriyasu; daughters Cindy (Gary) Shimizu, Tami McClincy, and Lori Ricord; grandchildren Drew and Alec Shimizu and Lorissa and Logan Ricord; and numerous nieces and nephews. The family requests any memorial donations be made to the Nisei Veterans Committee or another charity of your choice.
FRANK TERUO “CHUB” HORI
June 12, 1927 – December 27, 2022
Frank Teruo “Chub” Hori, age 95, of Mercer Island, Washington, was born on June 10, 1927, and passed away on Tuesday, December 27, 2022. As a youngster he loved the Hori family furoba (bathhouse) near Green River. During WW II, Frank was removed to the Pinedale “Assembly Center” (temporary detention center) near Fresno, California, before being incarcerated for two years at the Tule Lake concentration camp in northern California. Frank was a corporal in the Air Force from 1946 to 1948. He was honored at a Seattle Mariners ballgame two years ago.
AKIRA HORITA
June 10, 1928 – April 23, 2023
Akira (Aki) Horita passed away peacefully at home with family, April 23, 2023, at age 94. He was preceded in death by his parents, Kasumi and Toshiko Horita, and his sister, Yoko Adachi (Sei), and is survived by wife Lillian, son David (Traci Porter), daughter Mari, and granddaughter Naomi Fina.
Aki was born in Seattle on June 10, 1928. Prior to the issuance of EO 9066 during WWII, the family moved to Moses Lake to avoid mandatory removal to an incarceration camp, and Aki graduated from Moses Lake High School in 1946. The family then returned to Seattle, where Aki met his to-be wife Lillian M. Hayashi. In 1954, Aki earned his PhD in pharmacology from the University of Washington, he and Lillian were married, and Aki was drafted into the U.S. Army. Following his honorable discharge in 1956, Aki returned to the UW as a faculty member where he rose to the rank of full professor in the Departments of Pharmacology (1966) and Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences (1987). During his 40-year tenure at the UW, Aki maintained an active research laboratory and coauthored over 185 publications before retiring in 1996. He took particular pride in teaching, and over his career mentored many graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and visiting scientists.
Aki will be missed and remembered by his extended family, friends, and former colleagues. His family also expresses its gratitude to Continuum Care of Washington hospice. Donations in memory of Aki can be made to the organization of your choice.
