Harry Hiroshi Umemoto

Temecula, CA – Harry Hiroshi Umemoto, 87, of Lihue, Kauai passed away on July 28, 2021, in Temecula, CA. He was born to parents Kenichi and Satoshi (Takemura) Umemoto, on June 6, 1934, in Lihue, Kauai. Harry graduated from the University of Colorado, Boulder and received his Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering. He worked in the aerospace industry as an electrical engineer for many years and later transitioned to government agencies: FEMA and Cal Trans. Harry is survived by his sister Alice (Umemoto) Kakuda, former wife, Nancy (Freudiger) Umemoto Westhoven, former wife Darla (Jones) Umemoto Payment, daughter, Dawn Umemoto O’Leary and husband Daniel O’Leary, son Kenneth Umemoto and his fiancé Amy Waddell, son Mark Umemoto, as well as grandchildren Akemi Umemoto, Gavin O’Leary, Margaret O’Leary, Brandon Umemoto and Chase Waddell. Harry was predeceased by parents Kenichi and Satoshi Umemoto. Harry was a loving father and grandfather. He also loved cars and car racing. Before getting married, he raced his 1956 Porsche Spider RSK in Riverside CA along with a Porsche 911 at Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah. He obtained a sixth-degree black belt (Rokudan) in Shotokan Karate and enjoyed passing along his skills and wisdom through teaching at the Fountain Valley Community Center for many years. Harry even organized and conducted sabbatical trips to Kauai with his Karate students. Additionally, Harry was actively involved with coaching youth and women’s soccer teams, as well as refereeing. Mostly, he loved helping others and attending church services at Calvary Chapel in Corona, CA where he served for more than 20 years on the Board.