Born Feb. 1, 1920 – Died Sept. 19, 2009 Tad Tadao Iwata a retired Orange County Flower Grower passed away at Los Alamitos Medical Center this past Saturday at the age of 89. He is survived by his wife of 61 years, Kay Iwata; and daughter, Sharon Muro; and son, Daniel Iwata. He was a proud grandfather and great grandfather to four girls.
Tad was a former veteran of World War II, where he served in the United States Army 442nd Infantry Regiment, comprised of all Nisei (2nd Generation) Japanese Americans. He was drafted into the army in 1942 and like thousands of young Nisei men Tad fought for freedom while his family was forced to vacate their homes in the Los Angeles area and relocated to an internment camp in Rohrer, Ark. The 442nd became the most highly decorated unit of all wars during their campaigns in Central Europe, Germany and Italy. Tad himself was a recipient of a good conduct medal.
After the war, Tad and his brothers, farmed 28 acres in Buena Park, Calif. where they grew chrysanthemums, daisies and strawberries until 1973. He was a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), Southern California Flower Growers Association and a local golf club. Funeral Services will be held Rose Hills Mortuary, 3888 Workman Mill Rd. in Whittier.