Masaharu Egawa was born on Dec. 1, 1942 to Jiro and Mary Fusako Egawa in Shizuoka Japan. He was raised in war torn Japan along with his sister Michie and brother George. In 1954, the Egawa family immigrated to the US and settled in Stanton, CA.

When Mas came to the US, he was 12 years old and could not speak, read nor write English. However, he was able to complete elementary, junior high and high school in seven and a half years, graduating from Western High in 1962.

He had his first part-time job at the age of 15, working as helper at George’s nursery. His first paycheck was used to buy a set of Craftsman wrenches. This was the beginning of his lifelong collection and love of tools. A love not limited to just acquiring them. He put them to good use around the house. As a meticulous craftsman, woodworker, home repairer and shade tree mechanic, he used to say “If it’s worth doing, do it right.”

In 1963, with his classic flattop haircut (he had hair then), he started to work in the Nursery Department at the new Anaheim Gemco Store.

That same year, he proudly became a naturalized U. S. citizen. 

The following year, his father Jiro, passed away. While attending college, Mas began to work full time to help support the family.  He and his brother also took over their father’s weekend yard service.  Nebo, as many in the family called him, was not only the older brother, but became the man of the house without reluctance. With his diligence, long tireless hours, and dedication, he was soon promoted to a more responsible position at Gemco and was relocated to Chicago, then to the Washington DC area.

In 1978, Mas married Yoko Sugiura in Japan and they settled in Virginia. Three years later, in October 1981, they were blessed with the birth of their daughter, Melinda.

To be closer to family and friends, and to enjoy milder weather, Mas secured a promotion as a Merchandise Buyer at Gemco’s Headquarters in Buena Park and moved his family to Orange County in 1983.

In 1992, he started to work for Alltrade Tools as a Global Buyer. For him, it was an ideal position, merging his love of tools with his work. He logged over half a million miles in overseas buying trips to China, India, Taiwan, Malaysia and Korea. His business trips ended in 1998, when he had a quadruple bypass surgery, restricting his travel. In 2008, Mas retired from Alltrade as a Master Scheduler. 

Not one to sit idle after retiring, he began day trading in earnest. Every weekday, he’d wake up early so he could follow Wall Street when it opened at 9:30 on the East Coast.

When he wasn’t watching the stock market, he was fixing up the house, working in the garden, or meeting up with Dick Reagh, Tosh Kimura, and Scott Tsuchiya for lunch every Friday. They called themselves “The Old Boys Club”.

Mas also took the opportunity to become active in many organizations.

He first became a member in 1959 with his mother and siblings Anaheim Free Methodist Church and rejoined the church in 1983 when he moved back to California. As a devoted member, he served as an AV Tech and Treasurer for the Men’s Fellowship, where he played a key role in events such as the annual mochitsuki.

He was also a member of the Nanka Shizuoka Kenjinkai and served on the board as President. 

Mas was a sports fan and loved watching sports of all kinds, but his favorite teams were the Washington Redskins and the Anaheim Angels.  He even began ushering at the Anaheim Stadium, jokingly saying that he wanted to be paid to watch the Angels play. 

His greatest passion was cars. He went to drag races and auto shows, took great care of his cars, and watched motor sports of all kinds. He was even a NASCAR season ticket holder. 

At his 70th Birthday Celebration, Mas expressed what mattered to him most:

The ”three “Fs” - Faith, Family and Friends. 

He knew he had abundance of all three and felt very blessed.

In his last days, he shared with Pastor Nancy that he faced death when he had his surgery in 1998 and he was not afraid. He said that he accepted that the end is near and he was very much at peace. He cared very much about not only the quality of his life, but those closest to him.

Mas passed away at his home in Placentia in the early hours of January 26, 2013, with Yoko and Melinda at his side. He was preceded by his father Jiro, his mother Mary, and nephew Jeffery.

Honoring his last wish, his final resting place will be Monument Valley, a place Mas felt only God could create.