Muneo "Jimmy" Koezuka's Obituary
Muneo “Jimmy” Koezuka passed away on January 21, 2025, at the age of 87 after a lengthy battle with cancer. He was born on December 31, 1937 in Osaka, Japan, to the late Yoshio and Tatsue Koezuka. He married his beloved Miyuki on October 14, 1962.
Muneo moved to the United States in 1966 when his company transferred him to Honolulu, Hawaii. He was later transferred to Los Angeles and then to Dallas. In 1979, Muneo started his own company, continuing in the same line of business of importing gift and decorative items for wholesale, until his retirement in 2005.
Muneo was an avid golfer, photographer, and traveler. He created photo albums with captions and graphics before scrapbooking was a verb. He was a fan of the Tokyo Giants and New York Yankees baseball teams and cheered for the Texas Rangers and the LA Dodgers in their respective 2023 and 2024 World Series wins. Muneo and Miyuki traveled the world – Japan, Europe, Canada, South America, Australia, New Zealand, China, Cambodia, Thailand, and Vietnam – and the national parks and monuments across the United States. A passion was traveling with his children, their spouses, and grandchildren to Japan to experience that beautiful country and visit with relatives.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Miyuki. He is survived by his daughters, Yasue (Timothy) Kulhanek and Masae (David) Rinkliff; his son, Dean; his grandchildren, Midori, Kevin (Aarti), and Emiko Rinkliff; and his niece and nephews in Japan.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas (www.mdanderson.org), or to a charity of your choice.
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