Dr. Donald Okada (85) passed away at Providence Little Company of Mary Hospital in Torrance on February 6, 2024 where he delivered over 3,000 babies. He was born on September 16, 1938 in Santa Monica to George and Susie (Yawata) Okada, the second-youngest of four siblings, James, JoAnn and Bob Okada. The family initially lived in West Los Angeles where George was a gardener. The family was later interned at Jerome, Arkansas Relocation Camp and later at Rohwer Relocation Camp in Arkansas. After Rohwer's closure, the family moved to Chicago, Illinois to work at a Curtis Candy Company Farm where Dr. Don's father and grandfather worked in the fields while his mom worked as a cook for single Japanese and Japanese American workers in the men's dorms.

During the post-war years when it was hard for everyone due to shortages and a poor economy, the extended Yawata family, a total of eight adults and eight children, felt fortunate to share a house in Los Angeles with one family per room. During his younger years, Dr. Don excelled in academics and in leadership in school, church youth group and in Boy Scouts in Pasadena, California. While attending John Muir High School, he served in several leadership roles as Director of the Student Business Office, Member of Junior and Senior Class Councils, Finance Commissioner and Member of the Finance Commission, Treasurer during his Junior and Senior classes and ASB Treasurer during his Senior year. Dr. Don went on to attend University of California at Berkeley where he earned a B.A. in Psychology and continued onto medical school at University of California at San Francisco. During his high school years and vacations in college and medical school, Dr. Don worked at a grocery store since there were no student loans available at that time. He financed his educational expenses for college and medical school through scholarships, personal income, and family support.

Dr. Don completed his post-graduate training in Obstetrics and Gynecology (OB/GYN) at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center where he met Marlene Hada in 1966 and later married in 1967 and then had their son, Derek, in 1968. Due to the Vietnam War at that time, physicians were being drafted into military service and Dr. Don served as a Major with the US Air Force Medical Corp. at the Strategic Air Command at Offutt Air Force Base in Bellevue, Nebraska. From 1969 to 1971, he taught medical students from Creighton University Medical School and OB/GYN residents from the University of Nebraska.

Returning to California in 1971, Dr. Don was appointed as Assistant Clinical Professor of OB/GYN for the UCLA School of Medicine at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center and served in that role through 1976. During those years, he lectured to undergraduate medical students and taught interns and residents in OB/GYN. His research was primarily in High-Risk Obstetrics and Infectious Diseases in OB/GYN.

From 1977 to 2007, Dr. Don worked in private practice, joining doctors Niall Cullen and Eugene Schwartzman and formed a practice made up of an Irishman, a New Yorker and a Japanese American. It was a multi-ethnic practice until the retirement of his two partners. During his thirty years of private practice, he served as Chief of Medical Staff at Little Company of Mary Hospital (LCMH) in 1988, and a member of the Governing Board of Directors of LCMH between 1990 and 2000. Concurrently, during those years he served as Secretary, Vice President and President of the Japanese American Medical Association (JAMA).

Dr. Don also served his community as a former President and board member of the Asia America Symphony Association (AASA), and as a founding member of Palos Verdes Baptist Church in Rolling Hills Estates. He enjoyed experiencing international travel to Japan, China, Hong Kong, Australia, Israel, France, Germany, Italy, the Baltic, and Russia as well as domestic trips to Hawaii, Alaska, New York, Chicago, and Florida. Dr. Don and Marlene also enjoyed several cruises with fellow AASA members on Crystal Cruise Line and on Disney Cruises with their grandchildren, Erin, Dylan and Ashlyn.

Dr. Don is survived by his wife Marlene Okada, his son Derek (Wendy) Okada, his grandchildren, Erin, Dylan and Ashlyn Okada, his sister JoAnn (Kei) Higa and a number of nieces and nephews. He was pre-deceased by his parents George and Susie Okada, and brothers James and Bob Okada.

A viewing will be held at Fukui Mortuary on Friday, March 22 at 12:00 pm at 707 E Temple Street, Los Angeles, CA  90012.

A Celebration of Life service will be held on Saturday, March 23 at 11:00 am at Gardena Valley Baptist Church, 1630 W 158th Street, Gardena, CA  90247.

A burial service will be held on Monday, March 25 at 11:00 am at Green Hills, 27501 S Western Avenue, Rancho Palos Verdes, CA 90275.