Richard M. Tanaka

On Thursday, November 4, 2021, Dick Tanaka passed away at St. Alphonsus Medical Center in Boise, Idaho following a tragic fall from a garage roof he was repairing at one of his properties in his hometown of Shoshone. He was at the tender age of 81.

Now, Dick was not your typical octogenarian. He was active until his very last day—stronger than those half his age, hard working as ever, and always willing to help others, even at his own expense. He was truly one-of-a-kind, with ideals seldom found in today’s modern world.

As a forewarning, this obituary is long. Very long. But this is only fitting for Dick, who would not only be able to talk your ear off, but also listen sincerely to what you had to say, which allowed him to build meaningful friendships throughout his life. However, most of his own stories were never about himself or his accomplishments. So, here is his story told on his behalf.

Dick was born in Gooding County Hospital to Ray Kazuo and Mitsuko Kono Tanaka, and was raised in a Japanese American home during World War II. The Tanakas were an integral part of the community in Shoshone, but lived through a turbulent era, in which over 100,000 people of Japanese descent were forcibly taken from their homes to inland detention centers. American society was permeated by cultural contention and Japanese Americans were generally considered second-class citizens. Because an internment camp in Minidoka was located just 25 miles away from Shoshone, Dick’s family was not forcibly displaced, but rather unconstitutionally stripped of their guns, voting rights, and even fishing poles, despite being American citizens. Overt racism was still common in Dick’s early years, and he and his brother would sometimes get pulled into fights (and almost always get beat up).

This environment, however, did not deter Dick one bit. Nor did he allow those experiences to define him. After all, he has always been a go-getter, or as those closest to him would say, “tenacious as a bulldog.” Dick gave 120% to everything he did, and as his high school yearbook quote states, “small and strong, he’s seldom wrong.”

At Shoshone High School, Dick was Vice President of the Student Council for the Class of 1958, played football as a halfback, and ran track. According to Dick, he was “halfway decent” at sports, but he never really has been one to boast. In fact, he was voted “Most Athletic” by his classmates, described as “lighting fast” (by at least one other witness account), and a member of the “S” club (the Sports Club). Notably, he became an Eagle Scout and was determined to live up to the Scout’s Oath at all times (and did so in an exemplary manner). Lifelong friends say that Dick has always been, well, Dick—he hasn’t changed a bit.

At the University of Idaho, he worked for the BLM during the summers as a firefighter and range technician. Dick was a Theta Chi and a member of the Vandaleers (an audition-only concert choir group), and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Forestry (Range Management) while completing the ROTC program.

After graduation, Dick was commissioned as a U.S. Army Second Lieutenant in the Infantry and assigned to serve in Korea as Commandant of a Counterguerrilla Warfare School. He then voluntarily served three tours in the Vietnam War, where he held various leadership positions, including Advisor, Battalion Staff Officer, School Commandant and the Commander of both Airborne and Ranger Companies. Never the type to lead from afar, Dick was on the frontlines: he jumped out of planes and long-lined from helicopters into the jungle, fighting alongside his men in the 101st Airborne Division and 173rd Airborne Brigade. After serving in Vietnam, he returned stateside to serve as an Infantry Company Commander, Branch Service School Instructor, Reserve Forces Advisor, and Advanced Concepts Branch Chief. He even served in Berlin, West Germany as an Executive Officer of the Special Troops Battalion.

Dick loved his country and served with integrity, earning him a long list of achievements, including the Bronze Star Medal (with 6 Oak Leaf Clusters), Purple Heart Medal, Defense Meritorious Service Medal (with 1 OLC), Meritorious Service Medal (with 1 OLC), Army Commendation Medal, Air Medal, Overseas Service Ribbon, 6 Overseas Service Bars, Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation, Republic of Vietnam Civil Actions Medal First Class, Legion of Merit, Vietnam Campaign Medal, Vietnam Service Medal (with 8 Battle Stars), Combat Infantry Badge, Parachute Badge, Ranger Tab, Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry with Palm, Presidential Unit Citation (Army), Army Achievement Medal, Army of Occupation Medal (Berlin), National Defense Service Medal, and Army Service Ribbon.

While Dick was stationed in Korea as a Special Operations Officer for the Combined Forces Command in 1983, he met the love of his life: Yongja “Marie”. Dick and Marie dated for 6 months, before he was reassigned to Ft. Lewis, Washington—5,000 miles away from Seoul. They continued their long-distance relationship, abundant with love letters and a handful of international flights, until finally tying the knot 3 years later. (Perhaps it was fortuitous that the Internet did not exist at the time, as Marie would never have been able to unearth the love letters buried amidst the mass emailed jokes, political commentary, or Bible verses that Dick regularly sent.)

At the age of 46, Dick retired from the Army as a Lt. Colonel after 23 years of honorable service. Since he was “tired” (as Dick would playfully say), he went to Korea, had a child with Marie, and pursued his passion for teaching for the next 15 years at the Republic of Korea Army Language Training Institute and at the Daewoo Corporation Management Development Center. On weekends, he volunteered at the Christian Clown Ministry, dressing up in a clown costume with full makeup, and visiting sick children at the hospital to spread the Word of God and put a smile on their faces. He got fairly good at miming, balloon twisting, and generally clowning around. Some of his balloon specialties included a poodle, a parrot on a perch, an apple, and a flower. He would even visit his daughter Susan’s elementary school to make balloon animals for her classmates.

After being diagnosed with cancer, Dick returned to Idaho in 2000 with Marie and their teenage daughter, where everyone questioned whether he really was retired, or even “tired”, for that matter.

Dick managed all aspects of his rental properties, including Ray’s Motel in Shoshone, from searching for tenants and collecting rent to pounding nails, painting, landscaping, siding, and repairing. (He, however, was deemed too nice to be a landlord, and was later demoted after his wife, a CPA, realized that the rent checks were rarely coming in on time, if ever.) There was a seemingly never-ending list of maintenance and repair tasks for his properties, but Dick always adamantly maintained that he was “really having fun!!” And his canine sidekick Rocco was always there to supervise, albeit sloppily.

Despite having an unofficial full-time job, Dick studied horticulture at the local college, and added “Japanese Gardener” to his illustrious resume. In his vegetable garden, he planted zucchini, tomatoes, cucumbers, green beans, garlic, onion, potatoes, and gobo. His harvest, of course, was much more than he would ever be able to consume in a given season, but he tended to his plentiful garden anyway just so that he could give fresh produce to his neighbors and friends.

Dick was also a tireless advocate who stood up confidently for his beliefs. He held an unofficial side gig as an activist and lobbyist, with a seemingly direct line to the senator and the governor’s office. He was an avid watcher of Newsmax, and hotly debated policies with others. Some might say that Dick liked to argue, but in truth he genuinely appreciated understanding new perspectives, sharing his own opinion, and, when appropriate, embracing other viewpoints.

For Dick, it was not his vast accomplishments or experiences, but rather his character that defined him. And boy, did he have character.

If anything had to be done, it had to be done right. And Dick didn’t let failures get the better of him either. If it wasn’t right, then he would stick with it until it was. He never let mediocrity nor adversity get in the way of his resolve. He had a broad intellect and a curiosity for practical knowledge. He was always researching, learning and reading—he read about 100 books a year, maybe even more. As a result, he knew how to do everything, from baking and woodcarving, to advertising and sales, and was an expert at solving crossword puzzles and untangling things. He particularly enjoyed reading Westerns written by Louis L’Amour and William W. Johnstone. It is, however, all too apparent that he never got around to reading “The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up” by Marie Kondo.

Dick was a collector too, with a vast collection ranging from stamps and coins to properties, and everything in between. Dick saved everything—and I mean everything. Some could say that he pioneered the recently popularized “reduce, reuse, recycle” movement. But it was because he could actually see a use for everything—be it a used nail, a screw, or a piece of wood to be repurposed, or feathers he could use for fly tying. He always kept his friends and family in the back of his mind, offering them various loot he acquired, which were often treasures left on the side of the road, or things laying around the house. And he always loved a good sale. He amassed so much junk that it’s no wonder he hated moving.

But the way Dick viewed old things was similar to the way he saw value in people, no matter who they were or what their circumstances. And when he gave his word, he lived up to it no matter what—sometimes being honest to a fault. Dick had the kindest soul, the most genuine and caring heart, and was exceedingly generous with others. He was, in the truest sense, a friend that you could count on no matter what.

Dick loved fishing and was a regular at Salmon Falls Creek Reservoir. Whether it was fishing with too many poles to manage, fly fishing, or ice fishing in frigid temperatures, he sought to share his love of fishing with others, and would take his family and friends out every chance he got. His family recognized that he had a special talent for never being cold, perhaps because he never sat still: he was constantly moving around, checking the bait, scouting new spots to auger, or fixing a broken pole. In his own words: “when the wind is blowing and the temperature is around zero, it’s not hard to catch ice.”

Family, though, mattered most to Dick. He spared no effort when it came to his family. As a son, he made sure his mother was well-cared-for when she became ill. He put most of his paychecks toward covering family expenses—even though it meant surviving off of ramen for months. As a brother, he cared for his sister in the nursing home. As a husband, he encouraged his wife to always chase her dreams and supported her every step of the way. As a father, he was undeniably the best dad a girl could ever ask for—a superhero, a confidant, a mentor, and the biggest cheerleader. As a grandfather, he supported his granddaughters’ educational goals to his fullest and you can bet your bottom dollar that he never missed their basketball games (even watching broadcasts when he couldn’t make it). The list goes on with what he has done—and the sacrifices he must have made—for his family. He was exceedingly proud of his family, and would probably want you to know that he is married to a CPA with an MBA, Ph.D., and GED, and that his daughter is still “majoring in boyfriend” but is now a “hot shot lawyer in New York.”

Above all, Dick loved God. He was actively involved in the church, and served in various positions as needed, including singing in the praise group with his booming baritone voice. He was a firm believer that God was in control, that God has had a plan from the beginning and will never give you more than you can handle. Perhaps God decided that it was about time for Dick to finally rest.

Dick is survived by his: wife Yongja “Marie” and their daughter Susan; daughter Lisa (Russ) (from a previous marriage); adopted children Guy and Cindy; 9 grandchildren; brothers William and Robert; aunt Bobbi; dog Rocco; and countless others who had the privilege of knowing him. His strong yet gentle presence and warm smile will be greatly missed by all.

He was preceded in death by his parents Ray and Mitsuko, sister Frances, brother Harold, and cousin Clarence.

A celebration of Dick’s life will be held at Parke’s Magic Valley Funeral Home in Twin Falls, Idaho on Thursday, November 11, 2021, at 11 am. The service will be officiated by Pastor Dan McAtee, who has been Dick’s pastor for over 7 years at the First Southern Baptist Church of Twin Falls. He will be laid to rest with full military honors at the Arlington National Cemetery deserving of his highly decorated and distinguished service to his country, where he will one day be joined by his loving wife Marie by his side.

On my honor I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law; to help other people at all times; to keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight. -Scout’s Oath

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you please sign the guestbook and share your own fond memories of Dick on this memorial page.

Links:

 - Funeral Service (Parke's Funeral Home, Twin Falls, ID; November 11, 2021):  https://youtu.be/mfVMviv2PLM

 - Video Tribute:  https://youtu.be/fKIWbAowcq0

 - Burial Service (Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, VA; February 7, 2022):  https://youtu.be/a10z5xq6G5U