February 26, 1940 – June 24, 2025
John passed away on June 24, 2025 in his home in Fremont, Calif. He was born in Los Angeles on February 26, 1940 and was the eldest son of John and Betty Watanabe and had two younger brothers, David and Ronald.
John lived his whole life in California, mostly in Los Angeles and the S.F. Bay Area, except during World War II, when the family was interned at Amache Relocation Center in Colorado starting from when John was 3 years old. After the war, his family returned to the East Los Angeles area, where John attended grammar school and high school. John attended East Los Angeles College and UCLA and lived in Venice Beach before moving to San Francisco. While living in San Francisco, he met his wife, Aiko through family friends and they were married for 50 years.
In his younger days John was an artist and enjoyed painting, photography, attending concerts in SF, fishing, and playing on the Station A Post Office’s softball team. Since he retired in 2004 after 36 years of working as a mail carrier for the Post Office, he had time to work in his garden, watch his favorite teams, the San Francisco 49ers and Golden State Warriors, hunt for treasures at Japanese rummage sales, spend time with family, and enjoy good meals with wine.
John is survived by his wife, Aiko; daughter, Jennifer; granddaughter, Maya; brother, Ronald; sister-in-law, Laurel; brother-in-law, Koichi Seki, and his wife, Liz; sister-in-law, Mariko Kelley, and her husband, Mike; nephews, Andrew Seki, Dan Seki, Joey Watanabe, Lance Michihira, and Sean Kelley; and many cousins and friends. He was predeceased by his father, John; mother, Betty; and brother, David. John will be deeply missed by his family and friends and remembered for his laid back and easy-going demeanor and his wonderful sense of humor.