Yutaka “Koby” Kobayashi
March 11, 1924 – Feb. 27, 2023
KOBAYASHI, YUTAKA “KOBY” was born March 11, 1924, in San Francisco, third son of Harutoya and Haru Murata Kobayashi.
In 1942, Yutaka and his family were evacuated to the Tanforan Racetrack and then to the Topaz internment camp. He left the camp in 1943 to attend Alfred University, then transferred to Iowa State College. He received a doctorate in Biochemistry from Iowa University. He married Martha Kitaoka in 1954. They had three children, Andrew, David, and Thom. Yutaka worked at the Worcester Foundation, New England Nuclear DoPont, and consulted for Packard Instrument Company. He was a world authority on Liquid Scintillation Counting and coauthored “Biological Applications of Liquid Scintillation Counting”.
Martha died suddenly in 1979. Yutaka married Maureen Byrne on December 29, 1982. Together they enjoyed tennis, biking and travel.
Yutaka became the director of the Nisei Student Relocation Commemorative Fund., to which he donated his internment redress money. An avid tennis player, Kobayashi was ranked number one in the nation for men over 90 by the United States Tennis Association. He died February 27, 2023.
He is survived by his wife, Maureen; his brother, John; sons, Andrew, David, and Thom; and grandchildren, Matthew, Heather, Noelle, Miles, and Kate.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Nisei Student Relocation Commemorative Fund., 19 Scenic Dr., Portland, CT 06480.
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