James Yutaka Nakabayashi passed away peacefully in his home on February 14, 2023. He was 98 years old. He lived a long and full life.
Born on November 22, 1924 in Honolulu, Hawaii, James was the third of 6 children to Denji and Ume Nakabayashi. He met his wife, Hazel Nishimura in Hawaii and they married on June 14, 1952. Together they had 4 children: Lynn, Ann, Cy and Joy. James traveled to California and attended mechanic trade school, and upon completion in 1964, he moved his family from Hawaii to the Mainland. In California, he ran two successful gas stations, the first one in Berkeley, CA and the second one in San Pablo, CA. In the mid 70’s, James sold his gas station and worked at Buehrer Inc as a forklift mechanic/electric specialist until his retirement in 1989.
A dedicated family man, James was actively involved in his children’s lives; coaching baseball, score keeping and always being present at their events. He was lucky enough to continue supporting his 12 grandchildren in their activities as well.
James loved the game of golf and enjoyed the sport from the time he was a teenager until he was in his 80’s. He played on courses all over the United States.
Sadly, James lost both his wife and granddaughter Lisa in 2017. He is survived by his daughters, Lynn (Mike) Noma, Ann (Dennis) Kitayama, Joy (Dan) Coyle and son Cy (Sharon) Nakabayashi along with 11 grandchildren, Mikie Noma, Daniel, Steffani (Gabe), Taylor and Blake Kitayama, Cory, Sean and Lia Nakabayashi, and Kaitie, Kelly and Shannon Coyle.
Services will be held at the Berkeley Buddhist Temple, 2121 Channing Way, Berkeley, CA on Sunday, April 2 at 4:00 pm.
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