Gene Takahashi

TAKAHASHI Mr. Gene Takahashi of Westport, husband of Violette Kosaka Takahashi, passed away Tuesday, May 15, 2007 at home in the company of his family. Mr. Takahashi was born October 7, 1927 in El Centro, California, son of the late Keitaro and Fusa (Saito) Takahashi and had been a resident of Westport for the past 30 years. In 1942, along with 118,000 persons of Japanese ancestry, Mr. Takahashi and his family were incarcerated in World War II concentration camps. The family eventually relocated to Cleveland, Ohio. Upon graduation from high school, Mr. Takahashi enlisted in the Army with the permission of his parents at the age of 17. Two years later, he was commissioned as a lieutenant and sent to Korea to serve in the Occupation. Following his discharge in 1948, he received his bachelor's degree from Case Western Reserve University. In 1950, he was called back into the Army and sent to serve in the Korean War, where he was awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart and proudly earned his 'Combat Infantry Badge'. Following his discharge from the service in 1952, Mr. Takahashi earned his master's degree from the University of Illinois and pursued doctoral studies at Case Western. In 1955, he joined the IBM Corporation as a systems engineer. His career with IBM spanned 32 years, the last 15 of which were spent as a director of Corporate Litigation. He helped defend IBM in the landmark antitrust case initiated by the U.S. Government which was eventually won by IBM. After his retirement from IBM in 1989, Mr. Takahashi co-founded the DELPHI group, a litigation consulting firm comprised of retired businessmen experienced in a wide variety of corporate disciplines. In the last years of his life, Mr. Takahashi gained great satisfaction working on the restoration of the Evergreen Cemetery of the Saugatuck Congregational Church, bringing new life and beauty to the historic site. In addition to his wife Violette of 55 years, survivors include one son, Dean Takahashi, his wife, Wendy Sharp of North Haven, Connecticut; three daughters, Nancy Takahashi, her husband David Oakland of Charlottesville, Virginia; Pat Takahashi-Blayney, her husband William Blayney of Seattle, Washington; and Mona Strick of North Smithfield, Rhode Island; one brother, Dr. Mark Takahashi of Durham, Pennsylvania; two sisters, Amy Ono and Grace Matsushima of Cleveland, Ohio; and ten grandchildren, Hannah, Milo, and Noah Oakland, Thomas Blayney, Kerry and Kai Takahashi, and Lauren, Natasha, Keila and Walker Strick. Friends are invited to attend a memorial service Saturday, May 26 at 2 p.m. in the Saugatuck Congregational Church, 245 Post Road E., Westport, CT 06880. Interment will be at 1 p.m. in Evergreen Memorial Garden. Contributions in memory of Mr. Takahashi may be made to Evergreen Cemetery Fund c/o Saugatuck Congregational Church. The Harding Funeral Home, 210 Post Road E., Westport is assisting the family with the arrangements.