Furuya, Yas, 88, a resident of El Cerrito, passed away peacefully surrounded by his family on August 7, 2010.

Yas is survived by Alyce, his devoted wife of 58 years, his children Joanne Ikeda, Bruce (Em) Furuya, Dianne (Milton) Furuya-Wong, and Suzanne Furuya. Grandpa will also be missed by grandchildren Brandon and Kristen Ikeda, Devin, Jared and Colin Wong, Celeste and Naomi Furuya. Other surviving family members include sister Mitzie Tarver, brother Yasumitsu (Emi) Furuya, sister Terry Furuya, and many relatives.

Yas was born in Oakland on April 26, 1922, the eldest son of Yasuhei and Motoyo Furuya. He was raised in Oakland and Alameda, graduated from Oakland High School in 1940, and was working towards his AA degree when WWII broke out. In 1942, his family was interned in Topaz Relocation Camp in Utah, and he was eventually drafted to serve in the army. After the war, he relocated to New York City where he met and married the love of his life, Alyce. They moved to California in 1958 and in 1961, Yas founded Impex Services, Inc., a freight forwarding company in San Francisco. His work was his passion, and he continued to go into the office every day for almost 50 years, staying actively involved in every aspect of the business. He became a car enthusiast at a young age and always enjoyed working on cars and keeping up with the latest auto trends. A strong presence in the many activities of his children and grandchildren, he was the ultimate coach and especially enjoyed being a vocal referee from the sidelines. Yas loved golf and traveling, but truly took pleasure in being with family and friends, always looking forward to sharing good conversation, good meals and good drinks.

A celebration of his life will be held on Saturday, Aug. 21 at 3 p.m. at First Unitarian Church, Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley, 1 Lawson Rd., Kensington, CA 94707.