Ronald "Ron" Masanobu Izumita passed away peacefully on July 13, 2021 in Newport Beach, California.  The family will be holding a viewing at Fukui Mortuary in Downtown Los Angeles on Thursday, August 5th from 10am - 11am and a private celebration of life at Angels Stadium in Anaheim on Saturday, August 21st from 1pm - 4pm.

Ron was born in Pasadena California on December 6th, 1937 to Masato "Duke" Izumita and Grace Keiko (Tajima) Naito.  His family was sent to Manzanar internment camp during WWII.  Ron was the older of two sons to Duke and Grace.  His younger brother, Don Izumita, was a dentist and entrepreneur and recently passed away in Arizona.   His father Duke split from Grace soon after the war and eventually remarried Sherri Sestuko Mukai in 1947.  The two had a daughter, Sharon, Ron's younger half sister.

Ron attended Pasadena High School and later attended Cal Poly Pomona where he graduated with a BS in Landscape Architecture in 1962 and a Masters degree from Harvard School of Design in 1966.   He then moved back to California where he started a Landscape Architecture firm called POD (Project Oriented Design) with a few of his fellow alumni - Roger Mackerlain, Joe Yee, and Woody Dyke.

He married his wife, Marilyn Kanegae, on March 8, 1970 and soon after had 3 daughters - Alison, Kristina, and Tiana.   The family settled in Newport Beach where they spent most of their life.  When Ron wasn't busy with his business,  he enjoyed watching and playing sports, specifically boxing, baseball, and basketball.  His favorite teams were USC, the Lakers, the Chicago Bears, and the Anaheim Angels. He acquired his love of sports from his athletic and talented father, Duke.  In his younger years, Ron was on a bowling team and played billiards.    Ron also spent some time in Chicago while his father was working there, sparking his love for the Chicago Bears.  Ron was a devoted husband and father who coached his daughters' basketball teams in the Japanese-American league SEYO.  His weekends often comprised of shuttling his kids to games and practice.  He also enjoyed going on annual skiing trips and summer vacations in Ensenada.

Ron's professional career as a Landscape Architect in Orange County started more than 40 years ago when he was fresh out of Harvard.  He started POD with his colleagues in the 60s. At one point, the company's success allowed it to  grow to over 4 locations in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Dallas and Orange.   POD was integral in the development and urban planning of the City of Irvine's corporate office parks in the 1970's and 1980's.  Ron left the company after it was acquired by Sasaki Associates and started a  firm called IMA Design Inc. with a former POD associate Bill Schultz.  IMA was very successful during Ron's tenure, with well known projects including Downtown Disney, Anaheim Stadium, and LAX.   Ron won numerous awards and accolades from his colleagues for his achievement and contributions in the field including Cal Poly's alumni of the year in 1998 and induction as a Fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects in 1990.

Ron was diagnosed with Polycystic Kidney Disease in the mid 1990s.  The disease eventually caused him to need dialysis which he managed for over 15 years.  In retirement, he enjoyed golfing, watching sports, doing crossword puzzles, getting together with his friends, listening to blues, jazz and country music, and spending time with his grandchildren.  Ron was a stoic, intelligent man who showed his emotion and affection but not in an overt manner.   He had a deep respect and love for his father and was greatly affected when his father Duke passed away in 2004.    Ron and his wife Marilyn spent over 50 years together until his death. Those years had ups and downs, but they were always full of love and commitment to one another.

Ron is survived by his wife, Marilyn Izumita, his daughters, Kristina (Douglas Sousa) Izumita, Alison (Todd)  Kawashima, and Tiana (Brian) Chastain, and his 7 grandchildren, Maile Sousa-Izumita (13) , Kika Sousa-Izumita(11), Kaleo Sousa-Izumita (9), Keala Kawashkma (6), Kiarra Kawashima (5), Ben Chastain (6), and Piper Chastain(4).