Malcolm Tsuneo Katsumoto Obituary (1929 - 2022)

Malcolm Tsuneo Katsumoto Malcolm Tsuneo "Mal" Katsumoto passed away peacefully on April 23, 2022, at the age of 93. He was surrounded by family and loved ones. Mal was born in Hilo, Hawaii on April 17, 1929, to Daisaburo and Chisato Katsumoto, and was raised in Honolulu, Hawaii. He and Chizuko, Mal's wife of 68 years, raised their family together in the Seattle area. Mal is an alumnus of the 'Iolani School in Honolulu. He received his bachelor's degree from the University of Hawaii, where he majored in chemistry and minored in business. In 1952, Mal graduated from the U.S. Air Force Officer Training School at the James Connally Air Force Base in Texas. During the Korean War, Mal served as a flight officer in the 51st Fighter Interceptor Wing based in Korea and Japan. While stationed in Japan, Mal met his future wife, Chizuko, in Tokyo. Together they moved to the U.S. where Mal did graduate work in chemistry and business at Seattle University and the University of Denver. Mal began his career in composite materials engineering with a particular focus on applications in the aerospace industry. He spent 30 years working for Boeing in Seattle, first as a materials and process engineer, then as an engineering supervisor, and ultimately as a unit chief in the chemical technology division. Following his tenure at Boeing, Mal went to work for Toray Industries, eventually serving as Chairman of Toray Composites (America), Inc. He was instrumental in facilitating the expansion of Toray's global market presence in the aerospace sector. Mal also served on the board for the Japan-America Society, an organization that focuses on fostering US-Japan business relationships. He also had a passion for golf and on his retirement from Toray made a hole-in-one which he celebrated with his colleagues. Above all else, he was proud of his family. In addition to Chizuko, Mal is survived by his three children, Diane, Kenneth, and Jean, his son-in-law, Paul, and his grandchildren, Tatsuya, Brenden, Kailee, and Julianne (Tatsuya's spouse). A private family ceremony was held at Columbia Funeral Home on April 28, 2022, with support from the Seattle Koyasan Buddhist Temple. Malcolm will be interred at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, "Punchbowl" on September 12, 2022. The family requests in lieu of flowers that remembrances are made to the Nisei Veterans Committee (NVC) in Seattle. The NVC is a recognized 501(c)(19) non-profit veteran organization.