Paul Isamu Yoshihara Sr.

Paul Isamu Yoshihara Sr. died peacefully in Snohomish, in early January 2018 at the age of 75.

Paul is survived by his wife, Laura Yoshihara; children, Krista Zimmerman, Edgar Yoshihara, Elizabeth Bostrom, Kyla Diffenderfer, Paul Yoshihara Jr., Sarah Yoshihara and Lorrelle Klinger; siblings, Yukio (Bob) Yoshihara, Aiko (Kay) Abe, Emiko (Emi) Ambo, Takeshi (Tak) Yoshihara, Yoshiko Florence Fujiwara and John Nobuyoshi Yoshihara. He is preceded in death by his brother Mitsuru (George) Yoshihara.

Paul was born on July 21, 1942 in Portland, Oregon, to Buichi and Kotoyo Yoshihara. He was the seventh of eight children. His birth took place at the Portland Assembly Center during the displacement of the Japanese during World War II. The family spent 4 months in Portland before being moved to extremely harsh conditions at Minidoka in Idaho, where they lived for the next 3 years.

After World War II, the Yoshihara family moved to the Renton Highlands and attended the Japanese Baptist Church in Seattle. Both parents worked to provide for their family during the post-war recovery period. Paul attended Cleveland High School and later graduated from The University of Washington with a doctorate in Sociology.

Paul married Laura Atkinson, a Christian school administrator and a mother of three young children, in 1979. They purchased their home on Ruggs Lake in Everett and had four additional children. He was a faithful husband who loved our Heavenly Father and always gave 100 percent to any task at hand. Paul and Laura shared an interest in gardening and participated in many interesting projects in the northwest, including The Flower & Garden Show.

Paul was interested in drama, art, dance, research, sports and travel. He spent a lot of time hiking and encouraged this love of the outdoors in all of his children. Paul once enjoyed a three-month bicycle journey through Washington and British Columbia. Travel destinations visited include Japan, Israel, Mexico, the Caribbean and Alaska, among others.

A memorial service is scheduled for Saturday, February 3, from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. at 2053 152 Ave NE in Redmond, with a reception to follow. Pastor Joe Yoshihara will officiate the ceremony. All are welcome to attend and celebrate Paul’s life.