Keith Katsumi Shirasawa

KEITH KATSUMI SHIRASAWA Was a 53-year old Santa Monica born resident of Redwood City, CA, who passed away in Brooklyn, NY on August 4, 2007 as a result of an injury sustained from an accident while riding on the Coney Island Cyclone Roller Coaster. A celebration of Keith's life will be held on August 19, at l:00 p.m., at the Mountain Meadow Estates, 102 Canada Road, Woodside, CA 94062. Upon graduation from University High School in West Los Angeles, Keith attended California State University at Northridge where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science. He later earned a dual Master's degree in Gerontology and Urban Planning at University of Southern California. In the early 1980's Keith relocated to Northern California when he accepted a position with the San Mateo County's Area Agency on Aging, where he ultimately became Director. However, Keith slowly began to gravitate toward his real passion, music. He would hang out at Gelb Music after work and started working there on Saturdays. Keith eventually made a meaningful and lasting career change and started working at Gelb full time, where he remained for the last 20 years. In Keith's spare time, he played guitar in a band, "Along for the Ride" that performed at local clubs and for various charities. In addition to his love of music, he was a loyal fan of the San Francisco Giants. Please visit www.gelbmusic.com for additional information. Keith is survived by his significant other, Linda Walker; sister, Ayako Masada; nieces, Cynthia Masada (Jeffrey Pepe), Lynn Masada (Eli Akiba); grandnieces, Nicole Pepe, Sami Akiba, Talia Akiba and grandnephew, Anthony Pepe; cousins, Robert Maruoka, Skip (Mona) Masuda, Gary (Kathryn) Hirano, Kai Hirano, Michael (Robin) Hirano, Ruth (Ted) Kearn and Aya (Jim) Johns.