Masami ‘Min’ Asai
A memorial service will be held on Thursday, Dec. 19, 2002, at 10:30 a.m. at the Hood River Valley Christian Church for Masami “Min” Asai who passed away on Dec. 14, 2002, at the age of 85. Min was born on Oct. 17, 1917, and was a life long resident of Hood River, Ore. He attended Oak Grove Grade School, Hood River High School, Linfield College, and Oregon State University.
Min served his country in the U.S. Army during the 1940s. When he returned to the Hood River Valley after WWII, he married Bessie Watanabe on Feb. 20, 1948. He was an orchardist his whole life, and became very involved in the Hood River community. Some of his activities included Chairman of the School Board during the construction of Hood River Valley High School, member of the Board of Directors of Diamond Fruit Growers, member of the Westside Fire and Farmers Irrigation District Boards, president of the Mid-Columbia chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League, and volunteer fireman for the Westside Fire Department. He also was appointed to a four-year term on the Columbia River Gorge Commission by Oregon Governor Victor Atiyeh.
He will be remembered for his wonderful, infectious laugh, his great smile, and as a great father, husband, and grandfather. He loved the outdoors, and enjoyed golfing, bowling, mushroom hunting, fishing and razor clamming. The family vacations to Long Beach, Wash., will always be remembered by the family. He taught his children how to play cards, and many family get-togethers would always result in a rousing game of bridge, poker, or pinochle. His love for his family and sports led him to being instrumental in the establishment of the annual Asai golf and bowling tournaments, which the Asai clan has held every year since 1977.
Min is survived by his wife of 54 years, Bessie; son and daughter-in-law, Sam and Karen Asai of Hood River; daughter, Ellen Kariya of Kirkland, Wash.; son and daughter-in-law, Carl and Cynthia Asai of Tualatin, Ore.; son and daughter-in-law, Winston and Jan Asai of Vancouver, Wash.; six grandchildren and one great-grandson; his brother, Gene Asai of Albany; sisters, Mika Hiuga of Ontario, Ore., and Mitzi Loftus of Coos Bay, Ore.; and 14 nephews and nieces.
The family would like remembrances to be sent to the Hood River County Library or Hood River Hospice of the Gorge, c/o Anderson’s Tribute Center, 1401 Belmont Road, Hood River, OR 97031, 541-386-1000.
Anthony Fisk
Anthony “Tony” Mark Fisk passed away in Carson, Wash., on Dec. 12, 2002. He was 13 years old.
Tony was born on April 16, 1989, in Hood River, Ore., to Trisa (Bettis) and Greg Fisk. He lived in Odell until 1999, when he moved to Carson. Tony was a student at Wind River Middle School. He was an ordinary teenager who liked music and playing computer games. He loved sports, particularly motorcycling, bicycling and skateboarding.
Tony is survived by his mother and stepfather, Trisa and Doug Gross of Carson; his father, Greg Fisk, of Parkdale; sister, Sarah Gross, of Carson; and grandparents Bill and Dorothy Bettis of Stevenson, Mark and Beverly Fisk of Hood River, and George and Sue Gross of Underwood.
He is also survived by his great-grandparents Willard and Betty Kellie of Stevenson, Florence Gross of Vancouver, Wash., Lola Medres of Carson, and Dolly Rosenbach of Vancouver, Wash. Also surviving are uncles Larry Fisk, Chad Gross and Nathan Gross, and aunts Nikki Gross, Stephanie Gross and Lynne Griffith and her husband, Gary.
The family will observe a private graveside service at Wind River Memorial Cemetery in Carson. A memorial service for Tony will be held on Dec. 18 at 6 p.m. at the Rock Creek Center in Stevenson, with Bob Huskey serving as celebrant.
Gardner Funeral Home handled arrangements.
William Yarosevich
Mr. William “Bill” Yarosevich, 86, a resident of Hood River, Ore., died Dec. 13, 2002, at the Providence Hood River Memorial Hospital after a lengthy illness.
Mr. Yarosevich was born July 16, 1916, in Sioux City, Iowa. His parents were Alice (Strushkeivich) and William Yarosevich. He attended Russian school and public schools in Sioux City, Iowa.
He married his wife Priscilla on June 21, 1963. He was employed at Armour’s Packing Plant until they closed in 1963. After moving to Cedar Rapids he was employed as a head food processor at the Polheina Meat Company for 5 years. He then worked in food processing at the Quaker Oats Company from 1969 until retiring in July of 1981. He resided in Cedar Rapids, Iowa until moving to Hood River in 1999.
On becoming a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints he was ordained as High Priest in the Melchizedek Priesthood.
Survivors include his wife Priscilla, three children by a previous marriage, Karen Henry and her husband, Jim of Sioux City, Iowa; Garry and his wife, Ann, of Hood River; Linda Dixon and her husband Judge of Sioux City, Iowa; four grandchildren, Jason Henry, Tamie McDaniel, Dru Dixon, Sheena Dixon and several nieces and nephews.
Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. on Dec. 18 at the Church of Jesus Christ Latter Day Saints, 18th and May Street, Hood River, with Bishop Don Arbon officiating. A short prayer service will follow at the Idlewild Cemetery, 980 Tucker Road, Hood River.
He was preceded in death by his parents and two brothers.
Arrangements were made by Anderson’s Tribute Center, 1401 Belmont, Hood River, OR 97031.
Bert Cates
Hood River, Ore., resident Bert Cates died Dec. 16, 2002. Arrangements are pending at Anderson’s Tribute Center, 386-1000.
Albert Girard
Albert M. Girard passed away on Dec. 5, 2002, in Hood River, Ore., at the age of 89.
He was born to Peter and Mamie Girard on June 2, 1913, in Wisconsin, but was raised in Cloquet, Minn., with his three brothers and one sister.
Albert married May Shipton in 1962 and they lived in Carson, Wash., until 1997. Following the death of May in 1999, he resided at the Rock Cove Center in Stevenson, Wash.
Al “rode the rails” out West stopping in Bingen when someone hollered, “This is Portland!” He worked in several orchards picking peaches, apples, and pears. In the early 1940s he started working for Broughton Lumber Company, firing the boiler-generator plant at the Willard sawmill, retiring from there in 1971. Upon his retirement, he occupied his time with traveling, camping, and many numerous small projects. Though he was a quiet man, upon closer association he was a very loving, unselfish person seen by his many acts of kindness.
He loved to share stories about his youth and when you saw the twinkle in his eyes. You knew that he was about to stretch the truth and the story. Sometimes he couldn’t finish the story because he, along with his audience, were laughing too hard. His role as a mentor will be sorely missed.
Al was preceded in death by his wife, May Shipton, and brothers, Kenny and Jim Girard. His sister, Annebelle Girard Meon, and brother, Lee, still reside in Cloquet, Minn. His adopted family include Larry and Susan Krug of Stevenson and their five children; Stephen, Cynthia Dye, Jennifer, Micah and Nathan along with four grandchildren. At his request, there will be no memorial service. Mr. Girard’s cremated remains will be buried in Minnesota. Gardner Funeral Home in White Salmon handled arrangements.
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