Michael Kiyoshi Nozaki

December 31, 1943 - March 14, 2022 Mike passed away in the home that he loved, at his wife Micki's side.
Born in Spokane, Washington, Mike was raised in near poverty but always gave credit to his mother for singlehandedly raising four children and making sure that they did not feel poor. He was very close to his paternal and maternal grandfathers, who he admired and revered.
As a young Asian boy, fighting racial discrimination, he had fond memories of swimming in the only pool in Spokane that allowed people of color. Even as a high school varsity football player, traveling from game to game, he was forbidden from eating with his white team members.
Mike was a fighter from a young age. As a four-year old, there were many times when he had to be snatched from the deep end of the pool when he dove in with abandon even though he could not swim. During his teen years, he excelled at sports, playing baseball, basketball and football. He was a star player on his high school football team and was recognized by the community at large for his athletic prowess.
At the tender age of 17, he enlisted in the Navy where he served proudly. Soon after his enlistment he was sent to Vietnam where he was a gunner on a small boat cruising the Mekong Delta. During one mission, an enemy missile hit the boat, killing the entire crew and leaving Mike badly hit, unconscious and floating in the river. He was rescued and spent many months recuperating.
In his early twenties, he moved to Southern California where he was employed by Rockwell International, McDonnell Douglas and Boeing. He was forever proud of the work he did supporting NASA's Apollo Space Program in the 1960s and 1970s. Working second and third shifts in Data Processing, he pursued a higher education during the daytime hours, ultimately receiving his Bachelor Degree from the University of Southern California.
Family was paramount to Mike. He loved and supported his daughters Michelle and Catherine and his five grandchildren, Bianca, Nicole, Francesca, Christopher and Andrew.
He leaves behind a wife of 35 years who loved him dearly and wants the world to remember that he was a very good man.