Wallace Hideto Matsumura

Wallace Hideto Matsumura, age 86, passed away peacefully at home on March 10, 2017, in Portland, Oregon. “Wally” as he was known to friends and family was born on December 9, 1930, in Hawaii in the town of Waimea, Kauai. The youngest of three children born to Kazuma and Toyo Matsumura (sister, Edith, and brother, Raymond), Wally enjoyed an idyllic childhood in Waimea, the memories of which he cherished an entire lifetime, often regaling friends and family with colorful stories of his homeland. In 1952 he graduated from the University of Hawaii with a degree in Marine Zoology. Subsequent soul-searching led him to conclude that a life at sea wasn’t in the cards for him, so in 1953 he made the decision to move to the mainland to pursue post baccalaureate work at Oregon State University and Oregon Health & Science University. His degree in Medical Technology at OHSU, led to a 30 year career in OHSU’s Immunology department in the clinical pathology lab from which he retired in 1986 as teaching supervisor. In 1962 Wally married Diana H. Chun, a colleague of his at OHSU, who also hailed from his home state of Hawaii. The two of them raised a son and a daughter together. An avid golfer, Wally was a long-time member of the Oregon Nisei Golf Club. When he wasn’t out on the links, he spent his leisure time gardening, traveling, and watching sports. A diehard Oregon State Beaver fan, Wally bled orange and black, and was a Beaver’s football season ticket holder for over half a century. Wally is survived by his wife, Diana; son, Robert and daughter-in-law, Patti; daughter, Jennifer and son-in-law, Jim; grandson, Owen; 3 step-grandchildren, 10 step-great-grandchildren; sister, Edith; aunt, Sally; uncle, Joe; and many nieces, nephews, and cousins. Remembrances may be made to Waimea High School (Kauai, HI) or the Bonnie L. Hays Animal Shelter (Hillsboro, OR). Private Memorial Services will be held in Portland (Oregon) and Hawaii.