Yoshio Francis Uyemura

Yoshio Francis Uyemura, devoted husband, beloved father, adored grandfather, and cherished friend, passed away peacefully at home on July 31st, surrounded by his loving family. He was 92 years old.

Yoshio was born on September 24, 1932, in Los Angeles, California, to Ichinosuke and Shizue Kamimura Uyemura, the second of four boys (Nasuo, Yoshio, Akio, & Kazuo). By the time he was five years old, his grandfather called the family back to Kiire, Japan, as pre-World War II tensions were mounting. Raised in Japan, the Uyemura family experienced World War II from the Japanese perspective, with young Yoshio and his brothers witnessing several American bombers flying overhead during school hours. Following the war, Yoshio continued school and upon graduation, joined his grandfather in the family's bakery.

With dual citizenship in Japan and the U.S.A., Yoshio dreamed of moving to America, and in mid-1955, at the tender age of 22, he boarded a ship, walking away from a pre-arranged marriage, and endured a couple weeks at sea until they docked in San Francisco, CA. He didn't stay in the bay area long, moving to Los Angeles and finding a job in a Japanese bakery in Little Tokyo. By 1956, he had enrolled at Pasadena City College, to study English, and in 1957, he met the woman of his dreams, Ana Ballesteros, who was also studying English, having come to America from Bogota, Colombia.

Yoshio became a Catholic, taking Francis as his Confirmation name, and he and Ana were married in 1959. Francis, as he became known to most, began working in aerospace as a Packaging Design Engineer, having attained an A.A. from PCC, and was employed by most of the big names – Aerojet, Hughes Aircraft, McDonnell Douglas, and Boeing. Francis and Ana started their family of three daughters, in 1960, with the birth of Sandra. Francis provided for the family, putting all three girls through private, Catholic schools through high school. The family had settled in Sierra Madre in 1970, and he coached softball, through Sierra Madre Girls Softball League, for many years. All his life, he would be delighted when one of his "softball girls" recognized him and thanked him for being a great coach.

With most of their families overseas, Francis and Ana grew close to a "family" of good friends through Christian Family Movement at St. Rita Church, where Francis was also a member of the Men's Club and Choir for several years. He was best known however, for being an usher at the 10 a.m. mass, always greeting people with a welcoming smile, ushering his last mass less than 3 weeks before passing! After retiring at age 67, Francis enjoyed many years of golf with good friends, and spending time with family, often watching the grandkids when they were little, and attending almost every sports game they played. He and Ana were blessed with over 50 years of marriage, before she passed away in 2010.

Francis loved spending time with family and friends, and always made sure everyone was enjoying themselves; his kindness and generosity apparent to all. From backyard BBQs to Vegas trips, and vacations or get togethers with family and friends, he always had a big smile on his face, happy to be in the moment. He is missed tremendously by all who knew him, but most of all by his loving family, of which he was so proud: his daughters Sandra Hirsch (Jim), Thalia Iovine (Chris), and Ingrid Rose (Dan), his grandchildren Brittany Kopeikin (Mason, and great grandson, Milo), Christian and Timothy Hirsch, Trevor, Samuel, and Heather Iovine, and Zachary and Jacob Rose. He is also survived by his older brother, Nasuo, in Japan.

Viewing will be held at Cabot and Sons in Pasadena from 4-7 p.m. with the Rosary being at 5:30 on Friday August 29th, and the Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. at St. Rita Church in Sierra Madre, on Saturday, August 30th. The Funeral Mass will be live streamed on the "St. Rita Parish – Sierra Madre, CA" Facebook page.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to your local chapter of the American Cancer Society or to the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles: janm.org/donate . Donations can be noted in memory of Yoshio Francis Uyemura.