Wesley Kaname Koyano
January 14, 1925 – January 25, 2018
Wesley Kaname Koyano, 93, passed away peacefully on January 25, 2018. Wesley was the oldest son of 7 children of Kiyoshi and Shikiye Koyano from Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan. To avoid incarceration of Japanese Americans from Executive Order 9066 in 1942, the Koyano’s evacuated from San Jose, CA to Keenesburg, Colorado. In 1944, Wesley enlisted in the Army and served in Livorno, Italy as part of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team during WWII. After the war, he returned to farm in Brighton, Colorado where met his wife of 59 years, Sumi Tochihara and had 2 children, Duane and Yoko. In 1966, Wesley moved the family to Thousand Oaks, CA to become a landscape gardener. He served 2 years as President of the So. Calif. Gardeners Federation. Wesley’s most memorable event transpired on November 2, 2011, when he received the Congressional Gold Medal with his fellow soldiers of the 100th/442nd RCT and Military Intelligence Service in Washington D.C.
Predeceased by his wife, Sumi, siblings Atsuko (Jim) Shimizu and Mason (Lily) Koyano.
Wesley is survived by son Duane (Karen) Koyano and daughter Yoko (Wayde) Shimoda and granddaughters Kiku and Kelly Koyano and Rachel Shimoda, siblings Setsuko (Roy) Mikawa, Roy Koyano, Arthur Koyano and Lily (Bernie) Brenes.
A memorial service is to be held at the San Fernando Valley Japanese American Community Center on February 17, 2018 at 5:00 pm. In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting donations to the National Veterans Network and the Go For Broke National Education Center.