OBITUARY: Johnny Chuichi Niizawa

NIIZAWA, JOHNNY CHUICHI passed away on October 11, 2011 in the Fresno Veterans Administration Hospital after a lingering illness. He was born in Turlock, Calif. in the Lillian Collins Hospital on August 9, 1925, the first born of the late Take and Zitaro Niizawa. Johnny leaves behind his wife Yoshiko Kotsubo Niizawa after 60 years and 11 months of marriage. He also is survived by his son Stanley T. Niizawa of Clovis. He was preceded in death by his daughter Janet H. Niizawa, who succumbed to lupus in 1978.
Johnny was a Military Intelligence Service linguist during WWII, who was stationed at the Tokyo Headquarters during the occupation period. Johnny was active in the Sanger-Fresno community in the local JACL and local Buddhist Betsuin. He worked all of his life in many different jobs, the most recent as an insurance agent. He is still remembered for his prowess as a young teenager and even as an adult for his baseball pitching talent. His hobbies were fishing, hunting and bowling.
Johnny will be missed by his siblings, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews. Graveside services were held at the Sanger Cemetery on Oct. 19, 2011.