Kunio Ikeda
IKEDA, KUNIO, 83, of Salinas, passed away on May 27, 2011 after a short hospitalization.
Born in Gardena, Calif. on July 29, 1927, Kunio moved to Kagoshima Prefecture in Japan with his family in 1936. The family was separated due to the war. He graduated from Kajiki High School in Japan. He was unable to rejoin his family until 1951 at the age of 24.
Kunio moved to Salinas and helped run the family business, Ikeda Farms. Following the death of his parents, Yeizo and Satsu, Kunio continued farming with his brothers, Isamu and Don. He was active with the farm until his death.
In addition to farming, Kunio was an avid fan of sumo and a member of the Buddhist Temple of Salinas, Kagoshima Kenjinkai, and the Salinas Valley Japanese American Citizen League (JACL). In recent years he has enjoyed spending time with his close friend Kazuko Piacentino.
Kunio is survived by a sister Atsuko Obata (Jack) of Gilroy; brothers Sam and Don of Salinas. He was preceded in death by brother Hiroshi and sister-in-laws Yoshiko and Joyce.
His family also included a number of nephews and nieces — Alan Obata (Kevin Heath) of Gilroy, Teri Hinmon (Tom) of Gilroy, Yuko Ohe (Tom) of Sunnyvale, Reiko Ikeda of Salinas, Dean Ikeda of Salinas, Sheri Minamide (Jeffrey) of Fremont, Gary Ikeda of Sunnyvale, and Dave Ikeda (Shizuka) of Alameda.
A memorial service will be held on Saturday, June 25, 2011 at 4 p.m. at the Buddhist Temple of Salinas, 14 California St., Salinas, CA 93901.
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