Shigeo Ota was born April 20, 1925 in Portland, Oregon. He was the only child to Ataro and Sono Ota. Later he started using the name “Frank” because Frank Sinatra was popular at the time, and he continued to use Frank for the rest of his life.
The Ota family moved around a lot when Frank was young. He remembers going to grade school in Independence, Oregon but we have no photos of that. He did attend Pleasant Valley Grade School for 6th, 7th and 8th grade, and then Gresham High School for his freshman, sophomore and junior year until WWII broke out.
In 1942 under the authority of Executive Order 9066, Civilian Exclusion Order No. 26 forced all persons of Japanese ancestry to move. The Ota family was relocated first to the Portland Assembly Center in the Portland Exposition Center stockyards and then eventually to the Minidoka Relocation Center in Idaho. There Frank attended Hunt High School inside of Minidoka Relocation Center and graduated in 1943.
Then on April 29, 1944 Frank was inducted into the U.S. Army. He served as a general Clerk. While he did not go into combat overseas, Frank did serve in the 171st Infantry Battalion working on hospital trains taking wounded American soldiers home in the U.S. He did get to see a lot of the U.S. although most of it was just from the train. He was honorably discharged from the U.S. Army on March 23, 1946.Then he returned to Minidoka for a time.
It is unclear exactly when the Ota family moved back to the Gresham/Troutdale area. However, in 1949, Frank purchased approximately 9 acres of land in Troutdale. It may have taken some time to clear the land of the cherry orchard, but eventually the Ota family was farming there.
“A very good friend”, Rose Kasahara, introduced Frank to Mariko Marian Morinaga. They were married on October 2, 1954. They had four children, Susan, Donna, Doug and Linda. Frank’s parents lived on the farm in Troutdale until they passed, and Frank and Marian with their children lived in Gresham.
The extended Ota family worked on the farm in Troutdale growing strawberries, raspberries and blackberries as their main crops while rotating a few other crops like cucumbers, squash, zucchini, chives and even flowers like statice and strawflowers. In the winter months when there was not much to do on the farm, Frank worked downtown Portland in the Kida Company store. He was a delivery man, repair man and general handy man around the store. Frank and Marian eventually retired from farming in 1987 when they sold the farm.
After retiring Frank and Marian did some traveling together to Heart Mountain reunions, and Branson, Missouri with Ed and Momoko Kido. They especially liked getting together with friends and family in Ontario, Oregon, or locally in Gresham area. Frank enjoyed gardening. He grew fruits, vegetables and flowers in his garden, which he enjoyed sharing with friends. He also like fishing and mushroom hunting. He also did some woodworking building bird houses, wooden toys and pen sets. Frank also tried gem faceting and jewelry making – anything to keep his hands busy.
He was a member of the Gresham-Troutdale chapter of the Japanese American Citizen League (JACL)
Frank is preceded in death by his wife of 62 years, Mariko Marian Ota. And he is survived by his children: Susan Ota of Eugene, OR, Donna Ota of Gresham, OR, Doug Ota of Tucson, AZ and Linda Ota of Gresham, OR.
In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to one of the following charities or a charity of your choice in Frank’s name:
Ikoi no Kai, a Japanese Ancestral Community lunch program, at https://www.japaneseancestralsociety.org/ikoi-no-kai/
American Cancer Society at https://donate3.cancer.org/
There will be a Celebration of Life service for Frank on Saturday, April 15, 2023 at 2:00 pm at Lincoln Memorial Park, 11801 SE Mt. Scott Blvd., Portland, OR 97086
Committal service will be on Monday, April 17, 2023 at 10:00 am at Willamette National Cemetery, 11800 SE Mt. Scott Blvd., Portland, OR 97086-6937
COMPARTA UN OBITUARIO
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