Tatsuro Suruki
Obituary
Tatsuro Suruki passed away on February 6, 2023 at the age of 90.
Tatsuro was born in Kagoshima, Japan, the eldest son in a family with five children. He immigrated to the US in 1956 and worked at a labor camp in Marysville, CA. He attained his US citizenship in 1960 and went back to Japan to marry Ryoko. He and Ryoko settled in Los Angeles, where he worked as a gardener. His "claim to fame" was being the gardener for the film actor Jack Lemon. But he dreamed of being a landowner.
By 1968, Tatsuro saved enough money to buy a 25-acre plot of land in Watsonville. It was hard work to clear the land of trees and bushes on a 30-degree slope and establish a watering system. Eventually, he was able to plant young strawberry plants, which produced some high-quality fruit. Over time, he built a lucrative business which supported his wife and two children, David and Caroline, and build a home at the top of the hill that overlooked his fields.
Tatsuro was a member of the Watsonville Buddhist Temple and Watsonville Berry Co-Op. He was a gracious man with a kind heart. He is survived by his wife, two children, a grandson, brother Sadayoshi, sister Yoko, and many nieces and nephews.
A private memorial service will be held on Sunday, February 26, 2023 at the Watsonville Buddhist Temple. Mehl's Colonial Chapel was entrusted with the arrangements.
Published in The Pajaronian · February 24, 2023