Raymond Masaru Sugahara

Raymond Masaru "Masa" Sugahara: son, brother, husband, father, grandpa, uncle, brother-in law, and good-friend was born on June 17, 1928 in Hanapepe, Kauai to parents Sadakichi Sugahara (Niigata, Japan) and Taki Saito (Makaweli, Kauai). He is preceded in death by his beloved wife Mildred, parents and siblings: Esther (Hatsumi) Nekomoto, Shinichi Sugahara, Shinobu Sugahara, & Jean (Hisayo) Hayashi. Raymond grew up on the island of Kauai's West-side in Hanapepe Heights on Ahi Road where Raymond enjoyed growing up with his brothers and sisters. Raymond attended Ele'ele grammar school, Waimea intermediate, and finished Waimea high school in 1947. He later followed in his two older brother's footsteps and served in the US Army during the Korean War. Raymond was a PFC in the US Army from 1951 to 1953, trained and assigned as a Field Wireman.

Raymond met the love of his life, Mildred Yaeko Kinoshita of Waimea, they were married in Honolulu on Christmas eve 1954. They transplanted from Kauai in the mid 50's, across the Pacific Ocean to the mainland, specifically in SoCal where they raised three boys. Raymond worked and retired after a fruitful 33yr career as a manager in the Core & Semi-Conductor Memory Products Division of Ampex, located in El Segundo, CA in 1990.

The Sugahara home was always open to visiting relatives from Hawaii. Many if not most relatives & their children on both sides of the family have stayed with Raymond & Mildred while either visiting the mainland or passing through to other destinations. The Aloha Spirit was always alive and well. Raymond was always ready to take visiting relatives on sight-seeing adventures. Eh' we go "Holo-holo" a Hawaiian word meaning to go for a drive, ride, or sail comes to mind when thinking and remembering all of the excursions they shared with guests.

Raymond was accomplished in cultivating beautiful cymbidium orchids, raising koi fish, and was a Bonsai Master. Raymond's father Sadakichi was also a Bonsai Master instrumental in bringing the art of Bonsai tothe island of Kauai. To say Raymond had a green thumb would be an understatement because everything he touched flourished beyond belief. Many lives were beautified by Raymond's flower arrangements (ikebana), cymbidium corsages for proms, dances, weddings, and other special occasions. Raymond also learned to create beautiful ceramic pottery for many flower arrangements and other displays. All created and given with the "Aloha Spirit”.

Raymond was an avid outdoorsman, hunter, and fisherman. He enjoyed hunting for upland game such as doves, quail and pheasant. Some of his favorite fishing trips included many adventures to the Eastern High Sierras area, particularly Lake Crowley, Convict Lake, Owens River and the Mammoth Lakes area. He also had great fishing trips to Rancho Buena Vista in Baja, Mexico and Coos Bay, Oregon. For many years, he spent the entire month of July in Alaska fishing for salmon in the world- renowned Kenai River. He even had an opportunity to catch huge 60 - 100 pound Alaskan halibut while fishing out of Dutch Harbor in the Aleutian Islands. Dutch Harbor is also well known for the 2005 television series Deadliest Catch.
Raymond passed away at home surrounded by all of his immediate family on June 19, 2024. He leaves behind his boys: Wayne (Sue), Ken (Francesca), Glen (Leilani), grandchildren Joshua (Alejandra), Rachel, Kay and Caregiver Edna. Edna took care of him for seven years.