Yoshiteru Otani1

M, (17 November 1929 - 29 June 2004)

Father*Yoshinori Otani2 (5 Sep 1886 - 28 Sep 1964)
Mother*Tokiko Edahiro2 (10 Feb 1898 - 31 May 1969)
Yoshiteru Otani|b. 17 Nov 1929\nd. 29 Jun 2004|p2017.htm|Yoshinori Otani|b. 5 Sep 1886\nd. 28 Sep 1964|p2029.htm|Tokiko Edahiro|b. 10 Feb 1898\nd. 31 May 1969|p2030.htm|Gentaro Otani|b. c 1857\nd. 29 Dec 1923|p2289.htm|Yoshi Shimizu|b. c 1875\nd. 15 Dec 1944|p2290.htm|||||||

Charts Pedigree for Yoshiteru Otani
Last Edited 6 Nov 2005
Reference MFC
Researcher 0
Unrelated 0
Jim Ancestry Verified Y

Occupation* Owner of various stores, author, and public speaker. 
Birth*17 November 1929 Osaka, Minami-ku, Japan1 
Name Changeafter 1955 Raymond Yoshiteru Otani, Name legally changed in United States1 
Death29 June 2004 Eulogy by daughter Marjorie:
What I Learned from my Father
During the last few months, my father's hearing and sight had become so weakened that he became rather isolated and down. Seeing all of you here, and having your friendship and support makes me so happy that I hope I don't offend any of you with my jocularity and the light tone of my message. He would have loved this gathering as he loved being the center of attention. This message was essentially given several years ago when I was asked to speak in church on Father's Day about the things my father taught me. None of us have perfect fathers, but this I knew would be a good eulogy for my father since I have learned many things from him.
Martin Luther King's dream for his children was that his children would be judged by the content of their character rather than the color of their skin. We all have our barometers of what we deem a person respectable and noteworthy, and I believe that with my father, one of his barometers was education. He encouraged me to read whatever I could get my hands on. He and my mother were good examples of this. He told me once that he would always give me the money I needed if it was for reading and other educational pursuits, and he didn't take that promise lightly. When I was fourteen and expressed a desire to read some more of the works of Shakespeare, he went out and got me all the paperback copies his favorite bookstore had on the instructional copies of the works of Shakespeare. It was daunting, but I got through most of them! It didn't matter what color a person's skin was or what station in life they happened to be born to, my father had respect for those that were well educated and knowledgeable.
Another thing we all seem to agree on is that my father was a very optimistic person. He could always find the "silver lining" in a lot of life's hardships. When we were traveling and it would start to rain, he'd say, "This is good! The rain will cool down the hot road!" When I was 20 years old and found out that I had Juvenile Diabetes, he said, "This may be a good thing because it will force you to watch your health and take your vitamins." He even gave me a signed copy of "The Power of Imaging," by Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, a fellow Rotarian and man he really admired. He really felt that it would really help me be more self-confident and optimistic if I could focus and be able to visualize my goals and desires.
He taught me that it was important to look out for those less fortunate than you. He would not let it be known to everyone what he often did for others. I recall once he received an award from the United States government for organizing a clothing drive along with the NY Rotary Club for Nicaraguan earthquake victims. We had not known what he had done or the scope of the project until many years later.

He was an inwardly spiritual person. He impressed me that it was important to seek after your spiritual side and find what can give you peace. He believed in the power of prayer and prayed for others as well as sought the blessings of his spiritual leaders when he felt he needed it. Before he had his arthroscopic surgery, he asked President David Duffy to give him a blessing. I believe his faith helped him through some of his major surgeries and his illness.
He even applied all these things in my future choice of a husband. Besides the importance of finding the right person that was intelligent, charitable and spiritual, several times he gave me advice. He told me that I should marry someone who wants the same things out of life as I do and be as supportive and encouraging as I could be.
There is a verse in the New Testament book of Hebrews 13:2 that says, "Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares." This verse makes me think of my father who made friends so easily. The Apostle Paul was probably speaking of being kind to strangers because they may be real angels, but we know that scriptures are purposefully given to have many meanings and for different reasons. I believe angels come to us in many forms, as does God's plan for us. Just like that saying that no one's a stranger, just people you haven't met yet. When I was younger, I couldn't figure out why everywhere we went, my father knew everyone and everyone knew him. As I grew older, I realized that he really believed that people wanted to know him and he wanted to know them. My father wanted to be everyone's friend and assumed everyone wanted to be his friend. It really came in handy when my parents came to this country as a young couple and had no immediate family near them. They soon "adopted" new family as their circle of friends grew. Many of them truly became our "angels."
He taught me that you sacrificed for your family. When he was in town and we needed him to drive us anywhere, pick us up at weird hours at friend's homes or drive a car full of adolescent girls to girl's camp, he always did it without complaint. He'd always add though, "I'm only doing this because I love you!" I think though, he was happy when Linda got her driver's license and he didn't have to wake up early to drive us to Seminary, which back then, was an hour before church started.
He also taught me that along with old movies, old time music: Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole and Glenn Miller, books, friends, there are many things to enjoy in life. Humor can diffuse a bad situation and it's O.K. to go crazy when you have your first grandchild…
For these things, I'll always be grateful.
3 
Death*29 June 2004 Ay home, Flushing, Queens Co., NY, Cremated with no fixed place of memorial4 

Family
Child

Citations

  1. [S48] Interview with unknown informant (unknown informant address). Unknown repository (unknown repository address).
  2. [S38] Letter from unknown author (unknown author address) to unknown recipient; unknown repository (unknown repository address), Translation by Raymond Yoshiteru Otani of Japanese temple rolls from Ganshoji Temple, Osaka, Japan performed around 1970 in NYC.
  3. [S70] E-mail: From Marjorie Baird received on 8/14/2004 by Jim McKinney.
  4. [S275] Unknown name of person entry, Death Certificate, From original., unknown repository, unknown repository address.