Rev. Mineo Katagiri

KATAGIRI, Rev. Mineo - Died on Nov. 15, 2005 from injuries suffered from a fall. Rev. Katagiri, 86, an avid golfer, was the former head of the United Church of Christ in Northern CA. He was born and raised in Hawaii, graduated from the University of Hawaii in 1941, received his theological degree in 1944 from Union Theological Seminary in New York City, and was ordained in 1945. He served pastorates in Ohio and Hawaii and taught at Doshisha University in Kyoto, Japan. He moved to Seattle, Washington, in 1959, serving as a campus minister for the University of Washington and as a metropolitan minister for the University Congregational Church. During the 1960s, he was a well-known civil rights and social action leader, established the First Avenue Service Center on Seattle's "Skid Road" to serve the needy, was the founding director of the Office of Economic Opportunity in King County, and was appointed by Gov. Daniel J. Evans to serve on the Board of Regents for the Washington State college system. In 1970, he moved to New York City to join the national staff of the United Church of Christ as its director of mission priorities. In 1975, he was called to head the UCC's Northern California Conference in San Francisco and served in that role until retiring in 1984. Rev. Katagiri is survived by his wife of 61 years, Nobu, of San Francisco; daughter, Laurie Katagiri Hoshino and grandson, Shane Hoshino of Mililani; daughter, Iao Katagiri of Los Angeles; sister, Gladys Matoi of Honolulu; and sister, Isayo Katagiri of Japan. California Memorial Service -- Dec. 21, 2005, 6:45 pm (with a pre-service reception starting at 5:30 pm), at the Mira Vista Golf & Country Club, 7901 Cutting Blvd., El Cerrito, CA 94530, www.miravista.org. Hawaii Memorial Service -- Jan. 7, 2006, 1:00 pm (with reception following the service), at the Nu'uanu Congregational Church, 2651 Pali Highway, Honolulu, HI 96817. Contact Iao Katagiri, via email at iao@rand.org, for the family's suggestions for donations in lieu of flowers.