Goodbye Mr. Shimoda

Yesterday was the funeral for Robert “Bob” Shimoda, the last of my late grandpa Maurice Karamatsu’s closest friends.  Speaker Calvin K.Y. Say did the eulogy.  Speaker’s father-in-law, the late Stephen Kotake was a friend of my grandpa and Mr. Shimoda.  They called themselves “sangabarasu” or “three black birds” because they did everything together.  I will never forget Mr. Shimoda’s smile and his pleasant personality.  I am so glad I got to spend time with him.  He was a link to my grandparents and their generation.  A time when all the odds were against them such as racism and the glass ceiling, but they did their best as businessmen, but more importantly as friends.  I have no grandparents left, so anytime one of their friends pass away, I feel sad.  I will live life the best as I can, and help pave the way for the younger generations, and one day, I will join all my family and friends who passed away.  I am so honored to have known Mr. Shimoda.  Shimodasan, jya mata, goodbye until we meet again.