Obituary of Richard Takumi Kanemasu

Richard Takumi Kanemasu, loving son, brother, husband, father, papa and friend; of Eagle, Idaho passed away on February 6th, 2024, after a courageous battle with Parkinson’s Disease. He passed away at home with his loving, caring wife of 63 years, Ruth by his side.

Richard “Dick” was born in Portland, Oregon to George and Tomiko Kanemasu on July 21, 1938. In February 1942, the signing of Executive Order 9066 by President Roosevelt meant that Richard, his parents and younger brother Edward, would be required to report for internment. They were ordered to the Pinedale Assembly Center outside of Fresno, CA, before being relocated to the Tule Lake Internment Camp in Northern California. When the opportunity to leave camp to help raise sugar beets in Montana arose, George Kanemasu chose to move his family to the Fort Shaw, Montana area. This is where Richard would grow up and attend Fairfield High School and then go on to attend Montana State College in Bozeman, Montana where he graduated with a civil engineering degree in 1961.

In 1956, while attending Montana State he began dating Ruth Beck from Fort Shaw, Montana. Dick and Ruth had known each other since 1947, when attending grade school together in Fairfield Montana, her in the first grade and he in the third grade. They were married in 1959. After graduating from Montana State, Dick went to work for Northern Testing Laboratory in Great Falls, Montana, where Dick and Ruth’s daughter Kelley, was born in 1961. Their son, Curtiss, was born in Billings, Montana in 1963, where Dick and Ruth had moved to open a new office for Northern Testing Laboratories. In 1968, they moved to Boise again to open a new office for Northern Testing Labs.

Richard was very community and professionally minded and served on several committees and boards.  He served on the Boise Chamber of Commerce, American Red Cross of Idaho, Idaho Society of Professional Engineers (ISPE), American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC), American Council of Independent Laboratories (ACIL). He was named Idaho’s Outstanding Young Engineer by ISPE in 1971. ACIL award Dick their highest honor, the Lewis E. Harris Lifetime Achievement Award, in 1996. Dick’s professional career took he and Ruth to Denver, Colorado, Scottsdale, Arizona, and back to Boise in 2004.

A man of very strong faith, Dick was always very active and involved in every church they attended. Dick and Ruth loved to travel and together enjoyed visiting many foreign countries and visited every US State, except two.

Dick loved to travel, golf and fish, but his biggest enjoyment was his family. He loved golfing with or watching his grandson, Michael, compete in golf and also enjoyed fly fishing with his grandson, Alex. Dick and Ruth spent many weekends and holidays surrounded by friends and family at their place in McCall, Idaho, where Dick could often be found driving the boat pulling water skiers for hours.

Dick is survived by his wife of 63 years, Ruth; son: Curt (Robin) of Seattle; two grandsons: Alex of Bozeman, MT and Michael (Katie) of Eagle; two great grandsons: Kaden and Kyler; brothers: Edward and Lance and sister, Dani. He was preceded in death by his parents, George and Tomi and his daughter, Kelley, who he adored very much.

There will be a memorial service held at Friendship Celebration Lutheran Church on February 26^th at 11:00 AM at 765 W Chinden Blvd, Meridian, ID 83646.

In lieu of flowers the family request memorials be sent to the Treasured Home at treasuredhome.org or a charity of your choice.  Remembrances may be left for the family at www.AccentFuneral.com