George Haruo Sueoka

Obituary for George Haruo Sueoka March 7, 1931 - August 4, 2025 San Jose, CA resident for 70 years. George, 94, passed away peacefully at home with his wife and two daughters by his side on August 4th. He was predeceased by both of his parents and 4 brothers and 4 sisters. George is survived by his wife Janet, and daughters Lynn Brown of Plymouth, MA and Karin Burns of San Jose, CA. He was a proud grandfather to Kyle Burns and Kevin Gulmon of San Jose, CA ; Loukas Contos of Plymouth, MA ; and Jillian Contos of Chicago, IL. His sole surviving brother Bill Sueoka, lives in San Jose, CA and there are several nieces and nephews in CA, HI, WA, and Australia as well. Born on March 7, 1931 in Isleton, CA to Jiichi and Shika Sueoka, he was the 8th of 10 children. In 1942 at the age of 11 he was interned, along with the rest of his family, at Amache Internment Camp in Granada, CO. His older brother Sadamu served in Europe in the Japanese 442nd regiment and was killed in action in Italy months before the end of WW2. Following the release from the camp in 1945, George and his siblings grew up in and around the San Francisco Bay Area. George graduated from Amador Valley Joint Union High School in June, 1949. George served two terms in the Army from 1952 to 1960. At the time of his honorable discharge, he received the National Defense Service Medal. In April, 1959 he married Janet Morikawa of Hilo, HI and they purchased their home and raised two daughters in San Jose, CA. In 1966 George started working for the City of Santa Clara as a Civil Engineer, and retired in 1994 after 28 years of service. George was a passionate gardener to the very end. Bonsai was a particular interest, and he loved to propagate all different kinds of plants. Early on in their marriage, he and Janet were in a bowling league. They also enjoyed doubles tennis with their friends. He loved fast cars and thrilling roller coasters! He and Janet really enjoyed going on bus trips to casinos and they had a regular group of friends for monthly poker nights. He was artistic in many ways, and enjoyed dabbling in painting, pottery, and home improvement projects. The family welcomes you to browse the tribute photos. Click the Tribute wall tab.