Eric Kazu Mittwer

October 18, 1943 – March 13, 2021

Eric passed away peacefully on March 13, 2021. Eric was born on October 18, 1943 in an internment camp at Topaz Lake, Utah. His parents, Henry and Sachiko Mittwer, were married at Gila River Camp. Their family was relocated several times during Eric’s early childhood before finally returning back to the Pasadena area. Eric graduated from John Muir high school in 1961 before joining the Navy. He received his teaching credential at UCLA and taught evening classes at Pasadena City College. After his military service, Eric worked at Endevco, Xerox, Aerojet, and Northrup Grunman as an engineer before he retired. He was fascinated by the way things worked and he was always questioning the mechanics of things. You could always find him tinkering in his garage with something that caught his interest. He met his bride, Dorene, at Xerox and they were instantly best friends. He was never one for extravagant affairs and he asked her to elope with him to Vegas in 1971. They lived in Pomona for 17 years before eventually relocating to the home they would retire in. Eric was a den leader and cub master for Boy Scouts of America in the 1970s and there were lots of adventures for their sons who were trying to earn those coveted badges. Eric also loved riding dirt bikes and was a member of the Dirt Diggers Motorcycle Club for many years. Throughout his life, Eric was passionate about photography and won several awards at the LA County Fair with his images, including Best of Class. He always had his camera with him and he captured any moment that was worthy of his attention. It was always intriguing to view the world through his lens and understand his perspective.

Eric was a dear husband “DH” to his wife of 49 years, Dorene. He was a devoted father to sons Jeff Mittwer (Kim); Dave Mittwer (Nichole); Steve Mittwer (Arlene); Corey Mittwer (Bianca); and daughter Karine Ramirez (Rich). He was a beloved grandfather “Grampy” to his grandchildren Monique, Lilly, Alex, Alicia, Noah, Joel, Heidi and Ethan. He was also great-grandfather to Jordan, Olivia, Carter, and Grayson. In addition to the family he leaves behind, Eric was a best friend to many. He will be greatly missed and he will be forever in our hearts.

The family has requested that in lieu of flowers, kindly consider a donation to the Topaz Museum at https://topazmuseum.org/ Eric was born in Topaz Interment Camp during World War II and the family would love to honor his life by supporting the museum in his name.