ROY HISHASHI INOUYE of Kamloops, BC passed away on Tuesday September 8, 2015 at 83 years of age.
He is survived by his daughters Lori (Robert), Adele (Bill), and Teri (Denis), grandsons Brian and Alex, and sisters Margaret Lyons, Kazuko Shimizu, and Yoshiko Tanaka. He is predeceased by his wife Betty, his parents, and his brothers Ray and Edison.
Roy was born in Mission City, BC, December 25, 1931, eldest son to Yoshinobu Inouye and Teru Tsuji. During the 1942 evacuation of the Japanese Canadians from the BC Coast, he and his family moved to Oak Bluff and later Winnipeg, Manitoba and returned eight years later to Vancouver, BC.
He worked in the Lower Mainland before attending UBC where he met Betty Miyazaki, the love of his life. In 1957 he moved to Kamloops to own Ray’s TV Audio Ltd with his brother and in Kamloops Roy married Betty in 1959. He joined Xerox in 1970 until he retired in 1989.
Roy was extremely active in numerous community organizations, both as a great support to his wife Betty in all the organizations she was involved in, and in his own role as a volunteer and board member of various organizations and committees. His interest in serving the community began with his involvement with the Manitoba Buddhist Society. While at U.B.C. he joined the University Naval Training Division and there he continued his connection to the Buddhist Society which he sustained throughout his life. After moving to Kamloops he actively volunteered in numerous local, provincial and national committees, often serving on the Executive; those organizations included the Lions Club, the Navy League of Canada, the Kamloops and the National Japanese Canadian Associations (NAJC), the BC and Kamloops Folkfest Societies, the Kamloops Multicultural Society, the Kamloops Redress Society, the City of Kamloops Race Relations Committee, the Kamloops Sister City Committee, the Pan American Nikkei Association, the Canadian Ethnocultural Council, the Buddhist Churches of Canada, the BC Buddhist Temples Federation, and the Kamloops Buddhist Temple.
Over the decades his dedication to his community was well recognized and he received many awards. Among those recognitions were the Government and Emperor of Japan Order of the Sacred Treasure Gold Rays with Rosette, the City of Kamloops Recognition of Achievement Award, the NAJC National Biennial Special Award, the Lions Club International District Lion of the Year, and the Buddhist Churches of Canada Commendation Award.
A Memorial Service celebrating his life will take place at 2:00 pm on Friday, September 18, 2015 at the Kamloops Buddhist Temple, 361 Poplar St., Kamloops, BC with Rev. Y Miyakawa officiating. Flowers are gratefully declined. Donations may be made to the Kamloops Buddhist Temple.
