Richard Takeshi Yanaga

Richard Takeshi Yanaga, 63, of Kimball, died Sept. 26, 2014 at Medical Center of the Rockies in Loveland, Colo., following a brief illness.

Richard was born Aug. 12, 1951 in Denver, Colo., the son of Tom T. and Doris K. (Matsuno) Yanaga. He was a graduate of Mapleton High School in Denver. He married Jean A. Mueller on Jan. 1, 1993 in Lakewood, Colo.

Richard was a hard worker and held a variety of jobs during his life, including retail sales, landscape design and maintenance, property management and warehouse worker. A highlight of his career was supervising the maintenance staff at the Christian Academy of Guatemala. He was a member of the Kimball Evangelical Free Church and the Kimball Lions Club, and was active in the Nebraska Walk to Emmaus.

Richard was gregarious, generous, and eager to be helpful. His favorite activities were hunting, fishing, and sharing his musical talents with others. He also loved to travel; he visited 47 of the 50 U.S. states.

He is survived by his wife Jean; his father; sisters Shirley (Henry) Aoto of Torrance, Calif., Janet (Norman) Tashiro of Arvada, Colo., Patricia of Arvada and Judy of Arvada; stepchildren Jay Mueller of Denver, Amy (Brad) Dykstra of Minneapolis, Minn., and Gale (Douglas) Whitman of Fort Collins, Colo .; seven nieces and nephews, and two step-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his mother and a brother, Thomas.

A memorial service was held Wednesday, Oct. 1, at the Kimball Evangelical Free Church. A private family interment will follow at a later date.