Theodore Yukiharu Hanasono

On March 10, 2025, Theodore (Ted) Yukiharu Hanasono passed away peacefully at age 82. He will be deeply missed by his beloved wife, Keiko, and their older son Matthew and his wife Kara and their children Olivia and Matty, and their younger son Mark and his wife Merlyn and their children Luke and Maximo. He is also survived by his brother George Hanasono and his wife Elinor and their children, and other extended family members and friends.

On June 5, 1942, Ted was born to George and Mabel Hanasono in Denver, Colorado. Ted was sansei, a third generation Japanese American. His grandfather came to the United States from Japan in the 1890s and established an orchard farm in Hollister, California.

On February 19, 1942, President Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066 which authorized the exclusion from the West Coast and incarceration of all persons of Japanese ancestry, regardless of United States citizenship. The threat of incarceration forced Ted’s grandfather to liquidate his farm and move his family to Colorado.

In Denver, Ted’s parents opened a photography studio on Larimer Street. Ted’s father took the portrait of Minoru Yasui whose challenge to the government’s incarceration of Japanese Americans was affirmed by the United States Supreme Court, along with Hirabayashi v. United States. Federal district courts later overturned both cases, along with Korematsu v. United States. The portrait of Yasui taken by Ted’s father hangs in the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C.

In 1949, Ted moved with his family to Los Angeles. He graduated from Dorsey High School and UCLA with a degree in business administration. Ted served as a communications technician in the U.S. Navy. After military service, he married Keiko in 1967. Together, they bought a home in Carson and Matthew was born in 1969. Ted completed his CPA qualifications and joined an accounting firm which he took over when its founder retired. Mark was born in 1974 and the family moved to Torrance where he would live the rest of his life. Ted earned a law degree and expanded his practice to include tax law and estate planning for over 40 years. Ted was generous in helping clients, friends, and family members in times of need. He was active in the community and found joy in playing tennis and golf with his family. Ted will be missed by many.