Edward Minoru Watanabe, 87, of Whittier, California peacefully passed away surrounded by family on June 29, 2018 from complications from diabetes. Ed was born September 2, 1930 in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Ed graduated from Farrington High School in Honolulu then honorably served his country in the Korean War between 1951 and 1953 as an infantryman in the U.S. Army. After completing his military service, Ed moved to Chicago, Illinois and worked in sales and accounting. It was in Chicago that he met and married Doris Masagatani, the love of his life. Ed and Doris eventually moved to Los Angeles where they raised two children.

Ed always loved the outdoors and in 1960 he traded in his shirt and tie and opened his own landscape maintenance business. He continued to operate his business until he was 86 years old (albeit with drastically reduced hours) simply for the joy of being outside and interacting with his longtime customers.

Ed loved people and made lots of friends over the years. He participated in a ukulele playing group and was active in a tai chi group until declining health forced him to stop.

He is survived by his wife Doris, son Steve (Cindy), daughter Wendy Hensley (Dale), and granddaughters Katie Watanabe and Hayley Hensley. He is also survived by his brother, Isami (Margie), and sister Janet Shibuya. Ed will be remembered as a good, strong, sensitive, funny and caring man with an unending love of family and friends.

The family would like to thank the wonderful and caring staff at Sunrise Senior Living in Mission Viejo for making Ed's last days pleasant and comfortable. A Hawaiian-themed celebration of life for Ed is being planned for July or August. The family invites all who knew and loved him to share stories, memories and photos on this memorial page.

Please join us in remembering Edward. Through this site, we invite you to share your thoughts and fond memories with our family.