Tamotsu Hashimoto

Tamotsu "Tom" Hashimoto, age 74, of Ithaca, NY and formerly of Seabrook, NJ passed away on Tuesday March 6, 2007 at The Cayuga Medical Center at Ithaca after a long and courageous battle with multiple forms of cancer. He was born August 21, 1932 in Puente, California, the youngest of 6 children. While traveling to Japan with his mother and siblings prior to World War II, they were still in that country when the war started. Forced to remain in Japan until the conclusion of the war, Tom was a survivor of the Hiroshima bombing where the family had a farm.

Returning to the United States in the late 1940s he lived in New Jersey before enlisting in the US Army Reserve at the start of the Korean War, and was activated to full duty in 1952. Serving in the US Infantry, Tamotsu was injured in action on July 7, 1953 at the battle of Pork Chop Hill. He received a Purple Heart, Korean Service Medal, National Defense Medal, and a United Nations Service Medal for his combat service. Being honorably discharged in November of 1960, Tom attended the American Chick Sexing Association School in Landsdale, Pennsylvania and worked in Connecticut and New Jersey before eventually moving his family to Ithaca in the mid 1960s. He occasionally did work for Cornell University's Department of Animal Science, as well as various farms around New York state. He retired after 38 years of service with ISA Babcock in Trumansburg, NY.

Tom loved working in his yard, smelting and trout fishing. He was also quite adept at making balloon figures and enjoyed sharing them.

He was predeceased by his father Ryoshichi Hashimoto; his mother Satoyo Mihara Hashimoto; brothers, Satoshi "Stanley" Hashimoto and Hiroshi "Jim" Hashimoto. He is survived by a son, Walter Y. (Jennifer) Hashimoto; and a daughter Lisa M.H. (William) Payne; grandchildren Allison K. Payne and Benjamin P. Payne. Three sisters, Ryoko Miayo, Tomie Miyao and Mitsuko Yamamoto, sister-in-law, Teruko "Terri" Hashimoto, as well as several nieces, nephews and cousins.

Plans for a memorial service, to be held later this year at Seabrook Buddhist Temple in Seabrook, NJ, will be announced. Donations in Tamotsu's honor may be made to FISH (Friends in Service Helping) which provided medical transportation assistance, c/o Mary Kelsey at PO Box 458, Dryden Road, Dryden, NY 13053, or the American Cancer Society, 37 Adams Ave., Endicott, NY 13760.