Judge Vincent H. Okamoto

1943 - 2020

November 22, 1943 - September 29, 2020 Vincent H. Okamoto passed away on the afternoon of September 29, 2020, from sudden cardiac failure. He leaves behind his beloved wife, the former Mitzi Nishiyama, son Darby, and grandchildren, Penny and Derek.Vincent was an alumnus of schools in Gardena where he was a three-year letterman in track and football and president of his senior class. He attended both UCLA and USC under the dual enrollment program. At UCLA, he was voted ROTC's "outstanding graduate cadet" and received his BA degree in International Relations and a law degree from the University of Southern California.Vincent was born to a family of 10 living behind barbed wire fences in an internment camp in the desolate desert of Poston, Arizona. From this unpromising background and against all odds, he evolved into a distinguished member of society who went on to find success in the fields of politics, law and the military. His exploits as a Special Forces Ranger is the stuff of legend as shown by his induction into the Ranger Hall of Fame at Fort Benning, Georgia. He was the recipient of the nation's second highest military award, the Distinguished Service Cross, for his extraordinary heroism in Vietnam.In civilian life, he was appointed to the Superior court by then Governor Gray Davis where he became renowned for his honesty, integrity, humility and sense of fair play.He served on the boards of many illustrious organizations including the California Veterans Affairs Association, LA County Veterans Commission, California Endowment Foundation, and other non-profit institutions.Judge Vince was also a superb storyteller and the author of several books and a consummate chef and a foodie. We as a family are so grateful for the time on earth that we shared. Goodbye and Godspeed. We will miss him.