Irene Toshiko Itamura

Irene Toshiko Itamura passed away peacefully at home surrounded by her three sons, Friday, November 14, 2025.

Irene was born to parents Asao and Fujiko (Yoshioka) Takata in Pasadena, CA, on January 31, 1939.

Shortly after she was born, her family moved back to Sacramento, CA, where two years later, after the start of WWII, during the Japanese internment.

Her family was first interned at Tule Lake Relocation Center, CA, and was later moved to Amache Relocation Center, CO, for the duration of WWII.

After being released from incarceration from Camp Amache, her family returned to Sacramento, CA, where Irene later graduated from Sacramento High School in 1956.

After studying science and mathematics at Sacramento City College, she married Sadao Itamura on August 17, 1957, and the two of them, along with Sadao's parents, moved to a small ten acre peach farm in Yuba City, CA.

Irene and Sadao raised three sons in Yuba City and remained happily married for 59 years until his passing in January 2016.

In 1958, after failing her typing test at an employment agency and being told that the only available work for her was at a local tomato processing plant, she fortunately saw a random job posting, applied and got the job as an engineering aid at California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), an organization where she worked 40 years.

While working at Caltrans, she earned her AA degree from Yuba College in Marysville, CA. In 1964, she passed the Engineer-in-Training exam.

She continued to take courses at California State University, Chico, CA, and Sacramento, CA, and the University of California, Davis, CA, as she worked, and in 1969, she passed the Professional Engineer exam.

During her career, she was tasked with project development and construction on the reconstruction of the Interstate 880 Cypress freeway in Oakland, CA, after the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, which at the time was the most expensive and fastest completed section of highway in the nation.

Throughout her career she received numerous awards which included "Woman of the Year" by the Sacramento Chapter of Women in Transportation, the "Alfred E. Johnson Achievement Award" by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, and "1999 Top Ten Public Works Leader of the Year" by the American Association of Public Works.

In 1995, she became the first female and first Asian American to lead any of Caltrans' 12 district offices in the 100-year history of Caltrans.

As District 3 Director, she oversaw 11 counties, 1,500 miles of state highways, and over 1,800 employees. In 2001, she retired after more than 40 years at Caltrans.

Throughout her busy professional career and her retirement, she always made time for her friends and family's various academic and extra-curricular activities, sporting events, as well as life events both big and small.

She made an effort to be available and present for her children, grandchildren, and friends, who all knew they could call on her at any time.

She spent seven decades as an active member, volunteer and organizer for both the Buddhist Church of Sacramento, CA, and later The Buddhist Church of Marysville, CA, as well as with the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL), in which she was awarded the Lifetime Humanitarian Award.

She would also readily volunteer for organizations and friends that asked for her help.

Irene will be greatly missed and will always be remembered by all that knew her for her friendliness, acceptance, kindness, patience and her innate ability to communicate and find common ground with anyone from any walk of life, as well as for her keen mind.

She is survived by her sons, Matthew (Monica,) Ted, and Scott; grandchildren, Ann Marie, Claire, and Nikko; sister, Ellen Ito (Takata); brother, Ken Takata; and many nieces and nephews.

The family would like to thank all the caregivers, friends, and community members who supported her throughout the decades-long progression of her Parkinson's Disease.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, January 31, 2026, at 11 AM, at the Marysville Buddhist Church located at 125 "B" Street, Marysville, CA.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be sent to The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research.