David (Dave) Saneharu Yogi
March 22, 1929 — March 18, 2021
David (Dave) Saneharu Yogi, retired aerospace engineer, passed away peacefully from heart failure on March 18, 2021 in his longtime Gardena home with family by his side. The fourth of six children, Dave was born on March 22, 1929 in Imperial, Calif. to Okinawan immigrant farmers, Jitsutoku and Kame Yogi. He graduated from Glendale Union High School in Arizona, two years after his family was released from a nearby camp at Gila River where Japanese Americans were incarcerated during World War II. Returning to the U.S., in 1955 he married Kimiko Yasuda, his next-door-neighbor in the West Adams area. The couple settled in Gardena, where they raised their three children, Linda, Mike, and Lori. For 38 years, Dave worked for aerospace companies, including Northrup, TRW, and McDonnell Douglas.
Retirement freed time for his love of travel. A favorite destination was Japan, where he met cousins and other family members. He was proud of having visited all 50 states, many of which he and his family drove to in an RV he constructed. A gifted wizard in construction and repairs, he built a large den addition to his home, smoothed out dents in relatives’ cars, installed roofs on friends’ houses, and fixed countless things for people. His garage was legendary among friends and family as Dave’s workshop filled to the rafters with tools, construction machinery and hardware. For more than 40 years, Dave was a steadfast member of the Gardena Valley Baptist Church’s work crew, repairing and upgrading the congregation’s buildings. Dave was deeply loyal to friends and family, beloved for his irascible wit and his generosity in sharing vegetables newly harvested from his garden, and fresh tuna landed during his fishing excursions.
He is survived by his wife of 65 years, Kimiko (Kim); children Linda Ford (and fiancé Mitch Ikemoto), Mike (and wife Judi Kitano), and Lori; grandchildren Katherine, Matthew and Daniel Yogi; brother and sister-in-law Ken and Joy Yogi; sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law Frank Goya, Toshio Higa (and partner Linda Fujioka), Miyoko Yogi, Kazuko and Jimmy Okazaki, Kiyoshi and Jeanne Yasuda; and 18 nieces and nephews. A private graveside service is planned. In lieu of flowers and koden, the family requests donations to the Gardena Valley Baptist Church’s Facilities Fund: https://www.gvbc.net/donate