Yuichi Akihiro
1940-10-28 2007-08-27
Yuichi Akihiro was born October 28, 1940 in Tokyo, Japan. He had a brother and a sister. For our senior year, he was an exchange student at Roosevelt, and lived with Laura McCollum’s family. He called the parents, Margaret and Harold McCollum, his American mom and dad.
He attended college at Drury in Springfield, MO, where he met and married Pamela Forgey. Yuichi became a high school teacher; and in the late 60s, they moved to Gladwin, MI. In 1969 they had their first child, Matthew. Shortly after, they moved to St. Louis, and he taught social studies for the Hazelwood School District. In 1973 they had their second child, Tamiko. Then in 1975 they had their third child, Misako. Unfortunately, in 1981 Pam and Yuichi divorced.
Yuichi survived a head on car crash in 1983 when an oncoming car crossed the center line and totaled his car. He continued teaching high school in Hazelwood and Ladue until 1990, when he went to work for Central Texas College. In 1991, he married Shirley Casey from Poplar Bluff, MO. He taught college courses on U.S. Navy ships as a PACE Instructor. Most of the time he was on the aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk. He was aboard Kitty Hawk during the Gulf War. His Navy experiences took him around the globe. He enjoyed traveling and visiting different countries.
In the late 90s while in Japan with the Navy, he had quadruple by-pass heart surgery following a heart attack. He recovered fully but learned he had diabetes. In the summer of 2006, a fist-sized tumor was discovered behind his face. That fall, he had 2 long surgeries to remove the tumor and another to reconstruct his face. He was never the same after the surgery, and the cancer was never totally removed.
On August 27, 2007, Yuichi passed away after spending the previous 4 months in an assisted living home. Matthew wrote, “My dad was passionate about Cardinal baseball, walking, traveling, gardening, being outdoors and enjoying plants. A fellow teacher, David Nimphie and his wife Leann witnessed to him shortly after his surgeries and told me that he accepted Christ as his savior. He was loved and survived by his ex-wife Pamela; his son Matthew; his daughters Tami and Missy; his daughter-in-law Cindy; his son-in-law Artie; and his grandchildren Haley, Callaway and Kai. Also surviving were his wife Shirley, his step daughter Tammy; step son Dan and his wife Nancy; step son Tom; and step grandchildren Tia, Benjamin and Alisha.
Information was provided by Laura McCollum Baetz to Rita Lull Loberger, and Matthew Akihiro to Hank Wood.
He attended college at Drury in Springfield, MO, where he met and married Pamela Forgey. Yuichi became a high school teacher; and in the late 60s, they moved to Gladwin, MI. In 1969 they had their first child, Matthew. Shortly after, they moved to St. Louis, and he taught social studies for the Hazelwood School District. In 1973 they had their second child, Tamiko. Then in 1975 they had their third child, Misako. Unfortunately, in 1981 Pam and Yuichi divorced.
Yuichi survived a head on car crash in 1983 when an oncoming car crossed the center line and totaled his car. He continued teaching high school in Hazelwood and Ladue until 1990, when he went to work for Central Texas College. In 1991, he married Shirley Casey from Poplar Bluff, MO. He taught college courses on U.S. Navy ships as a PACE Instructor. Most of the time he was on the aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk. He was aboard Kitty Hawk during the Gulf War. His Navy experiences took him around the globe. He enjoyed traveling and visiting different countries.
In the late 90s while in Japan with the Navy, he had quadruple by-pass heart surgery following a heart attack. He recovered fully but learned he had diabetes. In the summer of 2006, a fist-sized tumor was discovered behind his face. That fall, he had 2 long surgeries to remove the tumor and another to reconstruct his face. He was never the same after the surgery, and the cancer was never totally removed.
On August 27, 2007, Yuichi passed away after spending the previous 4 months in an assisted living home. Matthew wrote, “My dad was passionate about Cardinal baseball, walking, traveling, gardening, being outdoors and enjoying plants. A fellow teacher, David Nimphie and his wife Leann witnessed to him shortly after his surgeries and told me that he accepted Christ as his savior. He was loved and survived by his ex-wife Pamela; his son Matthew; his daughters Tami and Missy; his daughter-in-law Cindy; his son-in-law Artie; and his grandchildren Haley, Callaway and Kai. Also surviving were his wife Shirley, his step daughter Tammy; step son Dan and his wife Nancy; step son Tom; and step grandchildren Tia, Benjamin and Alisha.
Information was provided by Laura McCollum Baetz to Rita Lull Loberger, and Matthew Akihiro to Hank Wood.