ON SATURDAY, MARCH 10, 2012, LORENS SAFAVI PASSED AWAY AFTER FIGHTING BRAIN CANCER FOR SEVERAL YEARS. LORENS WAS THE GENBU-KAI HEAD INSTRUCTOR FOR SWITZERLAND. HE WAS MUCH LOVED BY ALL OF US WHO KNEW HIM, FOR HIS KIND, GENEROUS NATURE, AS WELL AS HIS DEDICATION TO GENBU-KAI AND MARTIAL ARTS.
IN EARLY MARCH, JIM HAWKES OF USKA PASSED AWAY. HE WAS A DEAR COLLEAGUE AND FRIEND OF SENSEI DEMURA AND GENBU-KAI, HE WAS AN IMPORTANT PART OF USKA, AND HE WAS A DEDICATED MARTIAL ARTS PRACTITIONER AND INSTRUCTOR.
SOME TIME AGO, DAN LEE, THE BELOVED BROTHER OF GENBU-KAI STUDENT MEI OKUMURA, PASSED AWAY FROM CANCER. AS THE CREATOR OF THE MUCH LOVED CHARACTER NEMO, HE HAD CONTRIBUTED SOMETHING VERY SPECIAL TO THE LIVES OF UNCOUNTABLE PEOPLE, AND WE HONOR HIS WORK AND HIS LEGACY.
OUR DEAR FRIEND YNETTE HOLST PASSED AWAY SUNDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2011, AFTER AN ALL TOO BRIEF FIGHT WITH PANCREATIC CANCER - SHE WAS A MUCH-LOVED MEMBER OF THE SANTA ANA DOJO, A BLACK BELT IN KARATE AND BATTO
RANDALL "RANDY" BUTLER, A BLACK BELT WHO USED TO BE AN ACTIVE MEMBER OF OUR RIVERSIDE DOJO, PASSED AWAY ON SEPTEMBER 3, 2011, OF LUNG CANCER
DONALD BONGIORNO, SR., OUR DEAR GENBU-KAI FAMILY MEMBER DENISE BONGIORNO-NGUYEN'S VERY BELOVED FATHER, PASSED AWAY APRIL 10, 2011
MR. ISAMU NISHIKI, FATHER OF KEN NISHIKI, AND LIFELONG FRIEND OF SHIHAN DEMURA, PASSED AWAY FEBRUARY 11, 2011
SENPAI GEORGE MIYASAKO, A SPECIAL MEMBER OF OUR ORGANIZATION WHO WAS ESPECIALLY HELPFUL AND SUPPORTIVE OF SHIHAN DEMURA
GENBU-KAI CALIFORNIA, USA
MAI HAYAKAWA, A STUDENT OF THE
DIAMOND BAR, CALIFORNIA DOJO
GENBU-KAI CALIFORNIA, USA
RICHARD WETTS, A STUDENT OF THE
COSTA MESA, CALIFORNIA DOJO
