KOMOTO, GEORGE, 89, passed away peacefully on the evening of September 15, 2010 at Our House, the memory unit at Carlton Plaza of Sacramento, where he had resided since March. He was born on May 21, 1921 in Mt. Vernon, Washington.

He was the first son of Nobuji and Yoshiko Komoto and lived most of his early years in Northwest Washington state. With the advent of World War II, George, with his parents and siblings, was relocated by the WRA to Camp Minidoka in Idaho. In 1944, George and many other Japanese Americans joined the all-Japanese unit of the US Army, the 442nd’s Regimental Combat Team. He served in Italy and received combat wounds that resulted in the loss of his right leg above the knee. This loss did not slow George down, as he pursued studies at the University of Idaho, graduated, and began a 29-year career with the US Bureau of Reclamation, retiring in 1978. He had been a resident of the Sacramento area for 47 years.

George was an extremely active and accomplished sportsman, teaching his three boys to hunt and fish as avidly as himself. Indeed, his sons and the dogs often had difficulty keeping pace with him during their outdoor adventures. As George began to slow down, he took up golf, playing the horses and shooting sports, all of which he enjoyed and cursed routinely. George fathered Ken, Bob and Bill with Haruko Nishida, who passed away in 1955. In 1957, Dad married Yomiko Imai, who accepted the challenge of parenting three wild children. Yomiko and the boys survive him today. George is also survived by his three siblings, Frank (Midori), age 87 of Sumner, Wash., Sue Fujita (Ray) age 83 of Puyallup, Wash., and Bill, age 81 of Seattle.

A special word of thanks and appreciation to the staff of Our House at Carlton Plaza of Sacramento, who lovingly cared for George as if he was their own — You are very special people doing a very special job and we love you and thank you.

In lieu of flowers, donations made to the Muscular Dystrophy Society would be an appropriate and appreciated way to celebrate his love of helping others.

George’s life will be celebrated in a memorial service at Chapel of the Chimes, 4701 Marysville Blvd., in Sacramento, on Thursday, Sept. 23, 2010 at 2 p.m. with interment in the Sunset Lawn Columbarium.