Richard Kitabayashi, 79, Was Crossing Sawtelle in Wheelchair
The victim of the horrific accident last Thursday between a motorist and a wheelchair bound man has been identified as Richard Hiromu Kitabayashi of Culver City,
Kitabayashi, who was 79 years of age died when a struck his motorized wheelchair as he was crossing Sawtelle Blvd. at the La Ballona Creek in Sunkist Park.
The vehicle was traveling south on Sawtelle and was approaching McDonald Street at 3:48 p.m. Tuesday afternoon when it hit Kitabayashi. He was taken to County-USC Medical Center where he died from his injuries.
According to Culver City Police Lt. Ron Iizuka the accident is being investigated and the name of the driver has not been released.
Kitabayashi was born on December 30, 1932, in Boyle Heights to Tomejiro and Sueko Kitabayashi. He was the middle child, with older brother Tom and younger sister June.
He spent his formative years growing up in the East Los Angeles area until his childhood was interrupted during World War II when, at the age of nine, his family was relocated to the internment camp in Poston, Arizona. He spent a little over two years in the Arizona desert before returning to California.
After the war, his family moved to West Los Angeles where his father and cousin opened a dry goods store on Sawtelle Boulevard in the heart of an area heavily populated by Japanese and Japanese American families. He attended Emerson Junior High and graduated from University High in 1951.
He attended UCLA but interrupted his education to serve in the army for two years, spending his time at Fort Hood in Texas as an MP. On his discharge he re-enrolled at UCLA and received his degree in Mathematics.
It was while he was attending UCLA that he met Betty Yaki. They married in 1958 during the summer before his senior year. After graduation, Richard went to work for Douglas Aircraft in Santa Monica and later Long Beach. He spent his entire work career with this company and retired after 32 years in 1990.
Richard and Betty lived in West Los Angeles during the early years of their marriage, and started their family while living in a duplex on Federal Avenue. They had three children- Mark, Anne and Steven. When the duplex became too small for the growing family, they relocated to Culver City in 1964 and he and Betty have been in their house on Slauson ever since.
Richard was active his entire life and did not let his failing health get in the way of anything he wanted to do. In fact, when he could no longer walk and was essentially confined to his wheelchair, he became even more active and spent his last months happily tooling around the Culver City and Venice areas in his motorized chair. He enjoyed his routines and the friendship of his two coffee groups at the local McDonalds and Burger King, as well as staying in contact with all of the friends he made over in his life going back to his West Los Angeles days.
He was doing what he loved to do when he was killed on July 3, a few months short of his 80th birthday.
He is survived by his wife Betty; sons, Mark (Carol) and Steven (Dawn) Kitabayashi; daughter, Anne (Charles) Fretwell of Oregon; grandchildren, Ryan, Kristyn, Kaylee and Bryce Kitabayashi, Cody and Kylie Fretwell; brother, Tamotsu (Florence) Kitabayashi; sister, Junko (Roy) Matsunaga; brother-in-law, Michael (Madeline) Yaki; and numerous nieces, nephews and other relatives.
A remembrance and "Celebration of His Life" will be held Friday, July 13, 10:30 a.m. at Venice Japanese Community Center, located at 12448 Braddock Drive, in West Los Angeles. The Rev. Gary Oba of WLA United Methodist Church will officiate.
Family respectfully requests casual attire and the omission of flowers and Okoden please.
For more information visit: http://www.fukuimortuary.com (213) 626-0441.
Reader Comments(0)