Seiichiro "Sage" Mizutani, 68, of El Monte, California, passed on Thursday, April 30 ^th , following a courageous battle with ALS.

Sage was born on September 24, 1951 in Wakayama, Japan, son of the late Tokiya and Shizuyo Mizutani.  He is survived by his daughter, Jennifer Mizutani; his sister, Kiyoko (Yosh) Makita; his nephew, Jeff (Susie) Makita; his niece, Tricia (Dennis) Kwan; and his grand-nieces, Ashley, Sophie, and Keira Makita and Lyla Kwan as well as his extended family.

Sage moved to the United States in 1961 and graduated from Roosevelt High School in Los Angeles in 1970 and from California State University – Los Angeles in 1974.  He 30 years working for the United States Postal Service.  In February 1988, he welcomed his daughter, Jennifer, who became the most important part of his life.

Sage's love of sports began in his youth as he participated in football, track & field and martial arts.  After high school, Sage continued to be involved in sports by training boxers and playing basketball.  For over thirty years, Sage played basketball every Thursday night with his friends at the Alpine recreation center.  He loved playing with them and bonding over dinner afterwards. Sage was an avid sports fan and his favorite team was the Los Angeles Lakers.

Sage will be fondly remembered by family and friends as a someone who cared deeply about others and would do anything to help.  He was always willing to listen and share advice to those in need.  Even while battling ALS, he continued to keep many entertained with his sense of humor, story-telling and could talk about sports for hours on end.  His memory will be cherished and kept alive by his family and countless friends.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the ALS Association – Golden West Chapter.  The family is especially grateful to Lucy and Desiree for their tender care and support during his final years.

A small service followed by visitation will be at Fukui Mortuary on Thursday, May 7th from 3:30pm until 4:30 pm.  Due to COVID-19, face masks will be required and there will be a maximum of 10 people allowed in the room at a time.  Sage will be laid to rest at Evergreen Cemetery in Los Angeles, California.

A livestream virtual attendance of the viewing is also available:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/3589881241?pwd=dkh6VnA4d2hIWkpFc3NoSlgwNE9GQT09

Meeting ID: 358 988 1241
Password: sage