Roy Y. Ikeda

1934 - 2019

BORN

1934

DIED

2019

About

Seattle University University of Washington

Roy Ikeda Obituary

Roy Y. Ikeda

May 9, 1934 ~ September 8, 2019

Born in Seattle to John and Kiyo Ikeda. Graduated from Cleveland High and the University of Washington, with a Master's degree from Seattle University. Retired from the Seattle Public School District.

Preceded in death by wife, Jane Ikeda. Survived by partner Aurora Escame; daughter Jana (Greg) Hammerquist; son Neil (Marita), daughter Gayle (Chris) Scott; seven grandchildren; 1 great-grandson.

No services at his request. Remembrances to Seattle Public Schools scholarship program or the charity of your choice. Sign Roy's Guest Book @ www.Legacy.com

To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.

Published by The Seattle Times on Sep. 15, 2019.

Memories and Condolences
for Roy Ikeda

Sponsored by The Family.

7 Entries

Mary Macdonald

October 18, 2019

I met Roy thru Aurora Escame. I wish I had
known him better. I do know he was a real gentleman, an optimist, and a gentle, sympathetic soul with a quiet sense of humor. He will be, and is being, missed.

Fred Kuhblank

September 28, 2019

You were always my best friend. Your memory lives on in my heart.

Betty & Fred Paschal

September 22, 2019

Sincere condolences to Jana, Neil and Gayle and families. I was priviledge to know both your parents as their clinical nurse for many years and it was always a delight to see them at their appointments. My husband, Fred, was your dad's barber at Smitty's in Ballard and enjoyed his visits to the shop. It is a difficult stage bidding our parents the earthly goodbye but recalling the times spent together does help heal the grieving process. Thinking of you with prayers for guidance thru this period of loss.

Allison Eva

September 19, 2019

So sorry to hear of the loss of Roy. He was a great friend to my mom, Gert Eva, over the years and she so enjoyed getting together with him for lunch these past few years. I also fondly remember Roy from my days at Garfield High School - class of 1980. My condolences to the family and RIP to Roy!

Glen Moore

September 17, 2019

A Thank You to the family of Roy Ikeda

To all,
I was saddened to read of the passing of your father, partner, grandfather and so much more, Roy.

My name is Glen Moore, and to me, Roy was none of these things, but he was other things: a teacher, a coach, a mentor. Roy made it into that class of educators that most of us have; those who stand out over a long academic journey for their contributions that they offered during their time with you. Sometimes you do not recognize their importance at their moment in your life, yet over time, their influence surfaces again and again, when you are finally prepared, receive the original teachings.

My time with Roy was between 1967 and 1970, all three years, when a lot was going on in our country; much of it very confusing to my generation: civil rights, assassinations of our greatest leaders, a manned moon landing, riots burning decaying cities, smog, pollution everywhere.

There was also a little war going on overseas, being fought on the auspices of preventing the spread of communism in a domino tumble all across Southeast Asia, on its inevitable march to our shores. You want Pho with that? And great music, unlike anything before or since: Dylan, Mick and the Boys, Janis, Hendrix, Baez, The Who, all of which tried to make some sense out of our crazy world. The Summer of Love really happened.

For me, it was also a time of confusion, rebellion, and awakening that has lasted all these years. Can you imagine, being a protesting anti-war student with a policeman father on the other side of the riot shield? I used travel as my escape to find some sense in my world, on freight trains and hitchhiking, and campaigning silly little racing sailboats around the country.

But upon returning, Roy was always there, as a coach, a teacher and as one who cared about each and every one of us as individuals. He made us think critically in the class of current political issues, about what was facing all of us young men regarding the draft ahead, where our country was going, and even sharing a story or two of his own time. I remember him telling the class, with a goddamn smile on his face, about being a five or six-year old kid, interred in a concentration camp on U.S. soil. Minidoka, I believe. With that infectious smile that I know you will carry with you always, he said it was like being at a summer camp with a whole bunch of folks that looked just like him. How can America ever make amends to the Japanese Americans that suffered this disgraceful imprisonment?

Roy helped so many of us to navigate the uncertainties that lay ahead for our class. He was able to communicate ideas that my own parents were unable to articulate or maybe even care about. I thank him dearly for that, as I march today. Some would not survive the coming adventure, and their names now grace Maya Linns art in the Capitol.

As a coach and P.E. teacher, Roy always spurred his students on, to be the best they could be, to be active, and see their own growth, regardless of skill level. The point was to continue to grow. I guess he must have been a parent, for that is our job now.

I was the first member of my family to go to college. Back then, Ballard was a very blue-collar neighborhood, and we were no different. My parents were not from a culture that understood or particularly valued higher education. I needed a greater family of mentors to come to that understanding on my own. Roy was one of those mentors. He was one who did not even consider the possibility of NOT going to college. Reading of his graduate and post-graduate work helps me to understand why. I left high school not knowing the WHERE or HOW I was going to go to college, but with folks like Roy in my life, there was no question about the IF part. Ended up at UW by way of a short detour through community college, finished with a B.S. in Fisheries. I had the great honor to fish on two voyages with the Japanese fleets in the Bering Sea. I thought of Roy often on those trips, wondering what he would have thought of my fumbling about, trying to learn Japanese on the run, seeing if I could stand on my own two feet.

Somehow, I managed, and Roy, as one of my many mentors, was responsible for some small part of that. His approach to life also helped me to become a better parent, as I sit here waiting for the birth of my first grandchild, whose parents happen to be a gay couple. I wish that I had had the opportunity to tell him in person. He probably would have brushed aside any compliment, as was his way, but I know, that sometime later, he would smirk that coy smile and take a little bow.

Thank you, Roy, and I thank you, his Family. I am forever grateful.

Glen Moore
Ballard High School, Class of 1970
University of Washington College of Fisheries B.S. 1977

John Barker

September 16, 2019

From one of your old buddies at Cleveland High School. I would have been honored to attend a service in your memory. I felt very close to you, especially during the stage crew days we shared with Phil Leach and Fred Kuhblank. You will be missed by me, and by all the young people you served in public education.

Allan Wenzel

September 15, 2019

Roy was a gentleman, a friend to all who knew him, and a great teacher. I first met Roy at Ballard High School when he was a gym teacher and I was a student (Class of 1965). When I first began working as a teacher myself, and we met at another high school, he remembered me and mentored me. I really appreciated him taking an interest and the time. Roy was one of the few really likeable teachers who when you were around him you felt his warmth, you felt his friendship. I will always remember him. My sincere sympathy goes out to his family.

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