Obituaries : Knox H. Takasugi; Sunkist Employee, War Vet

Knox H. Takasugi of Ojai, a retired office manager with the Sunkist Corp. and a lifelong Ventura County resident, died Aug. 13 at St. John’s Regional Medical Center in Oxnard after a brief illness. He was 74.

His brother, John Takasugi, said that at the time of his brother’s birth--May 9, 1922--Japanese people had built a thriving community in Ventura County, having settled in large numbers in Ventura, Oxnard, Santa Paula and Fillmore.

Shortly after the outbreak of World War II, the Takasugi family was sent to relocation camps in the San Joaquin Valley along with other Japanese people living on the West Coast. The family was later relocated to the Gila Bend camp in Arizona.

Later, Knox Takasugi moved to Chicago and was drafted into the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, a unit of the U.S. Army made up of American-born Japanese. The valor displayed by the 442nd during the invasion of Europe from the Italian peninsula north through France made them the most highly decorated unit in U.S. military history.

After the war, Takasugi worked for International Tool Inc., before joining Sunkist in Ventura County. He was a member of American Legion Post 339 in Ventura.

Takasugi is survived by his wife, Manola Takasugi; brothers John, Herbert and Frank, all of Oxnard, Abe of Santa Barbara, George of Gardena, and Jim of Florida; sisters Ida Ross and Frances Johnson, both of Los Angeles; a son, Richard M. Takasugi of Jamul, Calif.; a daughter, Diane Mitchell of Garden Grove, and his mother, Tono Takasugi of Oxnard.

Graveside services will be held at 3 p.m. Saturday at Ivy Lawn Cemetery in Ventura, with American Legion Post 339 officiating.

Amaro, Manuel Ortiz, 46, of Oxnard. Carpenter. Garcia Mortuary, Oxnard.

Benjamin, Douglas R., 63, of Fillmore. Certified kitchen designer. The Neptune Society.

Dalton, Beverly Ann, 54, of Thousand Oaks. Buyer for Textron defense systems. Pierce Brothers Valley Oaks Mortuary, Westlake Village.

Driver, Emogene, 82, of Ojai. Librarian for the city of Long Beach. Clausen Funeral Home, Ojai.

Hann, Anneke Maryke, 59, of Ojai. Operating room technician. Clausen Funeral Home, Ojai.

Imperio, Osias P., 67, of Ventura. Supervisor for the Philippines Publishing Co. Clausen Funeral Home, Ojai.

Jambazian, Loussaper M., 92, of Thousand Oaks. Homemaker. Pierce Brothers Valley Oaks Mortuary, Westlake Village.

Turner, Molly, 84, of Ventura. Legal secretary. Ted Mayr Funeral Home, Ventura.

Ventura County obituaries are published free of charge as a public service to readers. Obituaries are based on information provided by mortuaries.