Danzo Shiramizu

Danzo “Date” Shiramizu

April 15, 1927 ~ March 17, 2020

Danzo “Date” Shiramizu passed on March 17, 2020 surrounded by family. He was born on April 15, 1927 in Salt Lake City, Utah to Yonekichi and Naka Shiramizu. He grew up in Salt Lake City, Layton and Syracuse. He met Elsie Masaye Okamoto upon her family’s relocation from Poston, Arizona after World War II to the Davis County area.

He and Elsie were students at Davis High School where he graduated and was actively participating in activities with the Syracuse Buddhist Church. They were married on October 26, 1951 and celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary in 2001. Elsie passed away on December 19, 2012.

Date worked at Hill Air Force Base as a civilian in Quality Air Control for 32 years retiring in 1982. For many years, he and Elsie volunteered with the local Red Cross Disaster Team, Roy Historical Society Museum and accompanied her in sharing her experiences in the relocation camps, with public school children in Weber and Davis Counties. He gave his input in his experiences here in Utah during those times. He and Elsie established the Elsie and Danzo Shiramizu Endowment for students through Weber State University in the Nursing profession. Additionally, Date and Elsie had an Epsilon Sigma Alpha (ESA) International Sorority Endowment for students that are pursuing a higher education degree in the State of Utah. ESA is a philanthropic organization that raises money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, which Date and Elsie volunteered together for countless years.

He was an active member of the Ogden Buddhist Temple and was a Dharma School Teacher and held many leadership positions while their three children were growing up. He enjoyed going to Wendover along with Elsie and the Roy Hillside Senior Citizens and on their own. He was honored as King along with his wife as Queen of the Roy Hillside Senior Citizen Center at Roy Days in 2005. His interests included gardening, making salsa, Japanese pickles of Takuan Daikon white radishes, Narazuke sweet pickles from Armenian cucumbers grown from friends at Roy Senior Center and Tremonton area, sweet and sour pork and fried rice for all those who enjoyed them. He also enjoyed traveling and caring for his grandchildren during their formulative years.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Elsie; his parents, Yonekichi and Naka Shiramizu; parents-in-law, Sakujiro and Hanako Moriyama and Fred Okamoto; brothers, Masao Shiramizu, Tatsuo Shiramizu; sisters-in-law, Mary (Masao) Shiramizu, Mary Mitsuko (Yoneo) Shiramizu, Emma Stewart; brothers-in-law, Tom Peterson, Charles Bird, Charles Voeller, Clyde Stewart, Howard Okamoto, William Okamoto; nephews, Walter Stewart, Jeffrey Okamoto; and son-in-law, Henry Riley.

Date is survived by his three children, Shauna, Dr. Bruce Shiramizu / Dr. Stanton Michels, Wayne and Lisa Shiramizu; grandchildren, Amy Jo (Jonathan) Fowers and Kyler Shiramizu; sisters, Maggie Voeller, Nancy Peterson; brother, Yoneo Shiramizu; sisters-in-law, Kuniko Okamoto, Jane Rouzer, Judy Okamoto; brothers-in-law, Walter (Angie) Okamoto; and many nephews and nieces.

Memorial services will be held at a later date. Services entrusted to Lindquist’s Ogden Mortuary.