William Inouye

William Shozo Inouye of Livermore died Oct. 31. He was 88.

Inouye was born on May 4, 1928 in Fresno, California where he grew up and worked on his family farm. He attended Fresno State College, UC Berkeley and then UC Davis, where he graduated with an agricultural engineering degree. He married Mary Dobashi on April 24, 1954, and this past spring they celebrated their 62nd wedding anniversary.

He served in the U.S. Army in the Combat Vehicle Division and had engineering jobs with the San Francisco Naval Shipyard and Northrup Aircraft Company in Hawthorne, California. He then settled in Livermore in 1958 with a 32-year career with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) in the Weapons Engineering Division. He became a registered professional nuclear engineer in 1977. His dedication to and his leadership with LLNL brought about many achievements and awards. Upon his retirement with LLNL in 1990, he built and spent much time at his vacation home along the Mendocino coast and he began to travel to many places around the world. 

Inouye developed lifelong friendships throughout his career at LLNL, some of which would ultimately change his life by exposing him to the adventures of diving. He was an avid abalone diver and scuba diver, and his enthusiasm for diving spread to all of his family and to many of his co-workers and friends. Although he has had many diving adventures around the world, there are many humble memories of camping and abalone diving along the Mendocino coastline.

His wife Mary, daughter Lynn and son-in-law Mark, son Glen and daughter Laura miss him very much but had many wonderful, adventurous and touching moments with him to remember. Upon his request, there will not be a memorial service. However, for those whose lives have been touched by Inouye, you will be happy to know that there are good times being remembered in his honor. Thank you all who have been in his life and ultimately in ours.

Donations in his name may be made to Hope Hospice, Attn: Sheryanne, 6377 Clark Avenue, Suite 100, Dublin, California 94568-3024.