Garry Yutaka Monji was born in Los Angeles, California on February 20th, 1953, and passed away on December 11, 2024. A Celebration of Life was held at the San Fernando Valley Japanese American Community Center (SFVJACC) in February.

Garry was born to parents Takeshi "Kent" Monji and Yoshiko "Yo" Monji, the middle child to brothers Masaru Glenn and Curtis. Garry attended Charles McClay Junior High School and San Fernando High School. He enjoyed SFVJACC Athletics and made many lifelong friends by playing baseball, basketball, and judo. Garry studied math at the University of Redlands and psychology at Cal State Northridge and received his master's degree from Cal State LA in Rehabilitation Counseling in 1978. Garry was a vocational rehabilitation counselor and retired after 18 years at the Department of Veterans Affairs, a job he worked tirelessly in dedication to service members. After his retirement, he enjoyed spending his free time keeping in touch with his amazing friends and volunteering at the San Fernando Valley Japanese Community Center. He greatly appreciated those with whom he volunteered, and loved sharing updates about the lives of his friends and families. He was outgoing and humorous, and worked hard without complaint in everything he did.

Garry was married to Joy Katayama for 42 years and together they built a life full of love, laughter, and memories. He is survived by his wife, Joy, and daughters Lori (Patrick Sato), Kristy (Lawton Chung), and Julie (Timmy Nguyen); his grandchildren, Mia and Nathan Sato, and Niko and Kenji Nguyen; his brothers Glenn (Ann) Monji and Curtis (Sharon) Monji, as well as many cousins, nieces and nephews. His family, friends and colleagues will always remember him for being a kind and thoughtful person and he will be dearly missed.