Joe T. Shikami
March 27, 1928 — March 29, 2022
Joe T. Shikami, 94, passed away on March 29, 2022. Beloved husband of the late Kikue Shikami. He was preceded in death by sisters, Mabel Kitsuse, Ruth Tachi, Florence Nakazawa; and brother, Reginald Shikami. Joe is survived by sister, Helen Hori; and brother, James Shikami. He was the fond uncle to many nieces and nephews and will always be remembered as a very kind and generous man.
Joe was born in West Los Angeles, Calif. to Senkichi and Sumie Shikami on March 27, 1928. He was interned in Manzanar concentration camp during WWII and left to live with his sisters in Cincinnati. He then moved to Chicago to live with sister, Helen, and her husband, Mike Hori. He attended and graduated from Senn High School in Chicago, Ill. He served in the U.S. Navy after WWII and at the start of the Korean War. He married Kikue Narui of Yokohama, Japan on Dec. 19, 1952, at the U.S. Consulate in Yokohama, and moved to Chicago with his new wife. He attended and graduated from Roosevelt University with a bachelor’s degree in Business Management. Joe was sent to Tokyo, Japan with a small management team from Kellogg Company of Battle Creek, Michigan, where he was the CEO to enter that emerging Japanese market. In 1978, Joe was hired by Quaker Oats Company as the CEO to open a plant in Taiwan. Joe retired three years later after the plant was operational and he and Kikue moved to Hawaii and finally to Roseville, Calif. Joe eventually moved back to West Los Angeles after Kikue passed away.
A memorial service and celebration of his life will be held on June 24, 2022, at 10 a.m. in Santa Monica at Woodlawn Cemetery, 1847 14th Street, Santa Monica, CA 90404. For more information, contact Deborahikeda@att.net.