Obituary of Goro Takeuchi

A beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother, longtime local businessman and buddy to many, passed away in his Santa Barbara home on May 8, 2015. Born on June 2, 1934 in Alvarado, California, he along with his mother Kiwa Koshi Takeuchi and three of his six siblings were confined to the Topaz (Utah) Japanese-American internment camp while his father Jingo Takeuchi was sentenced to an enemy alien camp in Lordsburg, New Mexico as an accused spy at the outbreak of WWII. Once Jingo Takeuchi was cleared of any wrong doing, the family reunited at a camp in Crystal City, Texas where his wife passed away shortly after the War's conclusion. Due to a possible POW exchange program, the family was amongst the last to leave Crystal City in 1946. Once released, he, his father, and three brothers Shozo (Skip), Keigo, and Mamoru (Mamo) moved to Santa Barbara to live near their sister Reiko, and her husband Caesar Uyesaka for a short time before moving to Los Angeles. Here, he lettered in swimming while attending and eventually graduating from Manual Arts High School in 1952. Two years later on a blind date to see Les Brown and his Band of Renown perform at the Hollywood Palladium, he met a pretty dancer and actress named Patty Lee. They were married in 1956 and lived in Los Angeles where they begat a daughter, Karen. After moving to Santa Barbara, the couple had sons David, Darren, and Michael. In Santa Barbara, Goro and his younger brother Mamo partnered in a Union 76 (now Unocal) station on the corner of Montecito and Laguna Streets. Here, he faithfully served locals for nearly three decades as well as luminaries such as Jimmy Stewart, Sandy Koufax and Santa Barbara's own James Brolin, until its closure in 1986 due to the widening project of Highway 101. Active in both the Santa Barbara Evening Optimist Club and the Nisei Bowling League for a time, Goro was the life at parties. After retirement, he and Pat would enjoy travel and being with their grandkids (via Darren) Lee, Helena, Liesl and Maelyn until his beloved's passing in 2001. Preceded in death by his siblings Reiko, Joseph, Skip, and Keigo, Goro Takeuchi is survived by his older brother Kenji as well as Mamo and his wife Reiko, two people who have been a great help to the family, his children, grandchildren and daughter-in-law Sheila. As per his wishes, there were no services.