Parcourez la nécrologie de Oscar
Okazawa 1935 2025 résidant dans la province Ontario pour le détail des funérailles
Obituary of Oscar Okazawa
On April 12, 2025, just a few weeks after the 59th anniversary of the Okazawas’ immigration to Canada, the proud, trail-blazing patriarch of this humble family, Oscar Masaaki Okazawa, passed away peacefully in his sleep after several medical challenges at the Palliative Care Unit of Northumberland Hills Hospital, Cobourg.
The eldest son of Torotaro and Mineko Okazawa, the young Masaaki, always had a taste for adventures and challenges. Born August 18, 1935 in Osaka, as a young boy, he witnessed the ravages of WWII, being separated from his family to be sent to safety with rural extended family. From an early age, he was a gifted storyteller and loved to spin tales, sometimes real-life experiences, sometimes embellished Japanese folk tales that would often scare the dickens out of everyone. And how he loved to write! He was a prolific pen-pal to his first match during his final high school years, (his wife, Sally Shizuyo Komada Okazawa). He then went on to study English Literature at Osaka University. They seemed to be an unlikely pair as she actually hated anything to do with writing. However, he continued to produce reams and reams of sharp as a bullet responses to the meager few lines that she could manage to scratch out. Despite not being terribly impressed initially with her potential, they did eventually build a young family life in Osaka and Hiroshima. But not before chasing after his first dream – to study abroad and perfect his English. He sailed from Kobe to San Francisco via Tokyo on the America Maru and then hopped on the Greyhound to Appalachian State Teachers College in Boone, North Carolina as an early iteration of the international student. Back from his big adventures in America, he first taught English in an Osaka high school. Then he was posted to Kobe Mitsubishi Shipyards as an English interpreter for the international sales team. There he would have been set up for a typical Japanese secure employment for life. However, this frequent exposure to his beloved second language only fueled his passion and drive to reach higher with his dreams – to live in North America.
The modest family of four arrived in Toronto in the midst of a typical Canadian winter and through years of hard work and struggles, survived the challenges that many new Canadians experience and created a new generation of Okazawas. Over the decades, Oscar was a familiar face at Port Hope High School, first as an inexperienced English teacher, then as a passionate geography teacher, adventurous explorer and chaperone of March Break field trips to Europe, and proud coach of the Judo Club. On weekends, he spent many years teaching Japanese in Toronto. If that was not enough, along with wife, Sally, they started one of the first Kumon After-School Math and Reading Programs in Canada. This was almost a family business as all three daughters, Emmy Okazawa-Bortolin, Marie Sirdevan (Rick Walker) and Victoria Okazawa (Lydia Makoroka), all participated as educational assistants during the busiest of times during their Kumon career.
As a life-long traveller, Oscar would never the miss the chance to take the family on a road trip. As such, almost every school break or summer holidays were meticulously mapped out. As a result, the Okazawas not only visited almost every KOA camp site from PEI to BC but also across the American states south of the 49th parallel in addition to the east coast from Boston all the way to Miami.
Oscar was a sports lover including not only of judo but baseball, marksmanship, fishing and golf. Whatever new interest he took on, it was usually with a “all-or-nothing” zeal. This is apparent in his not only one but THREE hole-in-ones at what became his second home, Dalewood Golf Club. For decades, he and his foursome buddies would open the course almost everyday at 6 am for their regular rounds of 18 holes.
Oscar also had incredible artistic talents in addition to being an athlete. Despite having no musical skills to inherit from his parents, he could play by ear like no one’s business. While his daughters spent endless hours practising and practising, he would often just sit at the piano, usually in darkness, with an upside-down newspaper on the music stand (just for appearances) and tinkle away all kinds of music from his beloved swing and jazz, well-known Japanese melodies to the latest pop tunes that he had only ever heard as he did not read music. Throughout his life, he also excelled at drawing everything from Snoopy and other cute cartoon characters to intricate drawings for Kumon newsletters and other teaching materials.
The travel bug continued to bite after retirement as well as Oscar and Sally enjoyed several trips and cruises in a variety of countries across Europe, North America (including the Hubbard Glacier!), as well as Cuba, Mexico, and of course to Japan.
Oscar doted on and was very proud of his large brood of grandchildren including Daniel Bortolin (Michelle Allard-Bortolin), Nico Bortolin (Bren Sangster), Torrey Sirdevan (Antoine Vautherot), Eddie Sirdevan (Elina Cherkelova), Gordon Sirdevan (Kaitlin Townsend), Erica Sirdevan (Ravi Bhuller), Frank Sirdevan and Maya Walker. In late 2023, he and Sally became great-grandparents to Paul Masaaki Bortolin. Then his latest pride and joy, Koa Vautherot, joined the family in late 2024.
Oscar is also survived by his dear brother, Kenzo (Yumiko) Okazawa and cherished sister, Michiko (Katsuyoshi – deceased) Nakamura. He also leaves nephews and nieces, Koichi (Yoko) Maeda, Seiji Maeda, Takeshi Masuda, Hitomi Masuda, Mikiko (Kenji) Chujo, Seishi (Kumiko) Komada, Jun Masuda, Kazuki Ito, Kenta Ito, Tetsuya (Yoko) Okazawa, Ayuko Okazawa, Katsuhiko (Tomo) Nakamura and Akira Nakamura. He was predeceased by his parents and several brothers and sisters-in-law.
Heartfelt appreciation and gratitude to the incredible staff at Northumberland Hills Hospital for all your support and care.
Family and friends are invited to visit at the Allison Funeral Home, 103 Mill Street North, Port Hope on Thursday, April 17th, 2025 from 10:00 am – 12:00 pm. There will be no formal service.
Dad, we will miss you terribly, but you will be remembered and loved forever.
1935 2025
Décès pour la Ville:Port-Hope, Province: Ontario
avis deces Oscar
Okazawa 1935 2025
nécrologie Oscar
Okazawa 1935 2025
Nous offrons nos plus sincères condoléances à la famille et aux amis de Oscar
Okazawa 1935 2025 et espérons que leur mémoire pourra être une source de réconfort pendant cette période difficile. Vos pensées et vos mots aimables sont grandement appréciés.