Tommy Yamashita passed away peacefully on February 13, 2015 in Covina, California at the age of 91. Tommy was the loving husband of Leiko who passed away in December 2010. He was the fifth of seven children of Issei parents Seikichi and Samo Yamashita.

Tommy grew up on a vegetable farm in Hawthorne, California which would later become the site of the LAX airport. He attended West Hawthorne Japanese Language School and Leuzinger High School where it was anticipated that he would follow in the footsteps of his athletic record breaking brothers. He did make the "D" basketball team, but he devoted himself to his studies, and was accepted to attend UCLA after graduation from high school. After enjoying the first semester as a "beanie wearing" UCLA freshman, his family moved to a Quaker community in Kersey, Colorado with a few of the neighboring Japanese Americans families to avoid their forced internment during World War II. The Yamashita, Matsuoka, Hiji, Higo, Ohada, Yanagihara and Akune families freighted their farming equipment and traveled together to Colorado where they worked the sugar beet fields in the summer and a Denver produce house in the winter. Tommy enrolled at Colorado State College of Education but soon left to help his family. The family eventually leased land and farmed for themselves. Unfortunately, many personal possessions were lost in a fire. Ultimately, the families "paid a price" for avoiding internment camps, because the war years in Colorado were very difficult.

In October 1944, Tommy was inducted into the Army and served in the 441st Counter Intelligence Corp (CIC). He could not relay any information to his parents about what he was doing. Fortunately, the war ended prior to a planned invasion of Japan, instead Tommy served in the occupying forces where he was able to meet his relatives and see his parents' home town, Kaseda in Kagoshima.

After the war, the family returned from Colorado back to Hawthorne. Tommy's brother, Takashi leased farmland around the San Gabriel Valley. The Yamashita Bros. farmed in Baldwin Park, and they sold lettuce to the original In-N-Out Burger on Francisquito Blvd. In 1949, the family sponsored their cousin Kazutoshi, whom Tommy met in Japan to attend Mt. San Antonio College and later Pomona College. Tommy married his sweetheart, Leiko in May 1951. The Yamashita Bros. later farmed in Indio, Colton, Oxnard and Camarillo. When the farming business dissolved, Tommy worked for Kato Nursery, acquired a gardening route from his father-in-law, Sadamu Doi and later became a landscape contractor. He always loved farming and working outdoors.

Tommy enjoyed being with and helping people. He was involved in numerous East San Gabriel Valley Japanese Community Center groups at all levels. He emceed for various Community Center events, weddings and celebrations. He always enjoyed helping out in any way possible. He could and would talk to anybody anywhere in English, Japanese and Spanish. And his friends and family knew that he couldn't avoid laying out his "two cents" worth of "helpful" advice.

Tommy was preceded in death by his devoted wife, Leiko, his parents, Seikichi and Samo, his brothers, Sakan, Shigeru, Kiyoshi and sisters, Ritsuko Higo and Sumiko Yamashita.

Tommy is survived by his eldest brother, Takashi (Molly), sons, Thomas (Jadine), Ronald (Gayle), David (Melinda), daughter Susan Harada (John), grandchildren, Alex, Keith, Wendi, Garon (Diane), Kara and Bradley Yamashita, Bryan, Mac and Jaye Harada and great grandchildren, Ethan and Alexandria Yamashita.

Funeral Services will be held on Saturday, March 7, 2015 at 10:00am at Higashi Hongwanji Buddhist Temple located at 505 E. 3rd Street in Los Angeles' Little Tokyo.
The family requests no koden. Monetary donations can be made to the East San Gabriel Valley Japanese Community Center or the West Covina Buddhist Temple where he was a very active member.