Tsutomu Toot Uchida
8/18/35 – 12/10/2017
A Celebration of Life was held for Tsutomu “Toot” Uchida, 82, on January 21st, 2018 in Glendora.
Tsutomu Toot Uchida was born in El Central and moved to Pico Rivera when he was 4 years old. Toot was interned at Heart Mountain, Wyoming and released when he was ten years old. After the war ended, he moved to Long Beach and attended Long Beach schools, attending Long Beach Poly Tech and was elected Student Body President and Yell King. He received a scholarship to Occidental College. After graduating, Toot was active in the JACL and was then drafted into the US Army and stationed in Texas. After returning home, he held positions with Equity Funding as a sales manager and then Executive VP with American Securities Corp and American Funding Corp. During the Nixon Administration, he received a White House appointment to the US Small Business Administration.
In 1972, Toot founded the Asian American Business Association, a non-profit organization to foster economic development in all Asian communities in Southern CA. He was also appointed to the Community Redevelopment Agency for the City of Los Angeles.
Toot is survived by his wife Joanna Bruno, daughters Allyson, Stephanie, Stacie, Cori and ten grandchildren.