I don't remember this, but my mom said when I was little, I would almost always fall asleep while on my dad’s shoulders, and he would never let me fall. Back in Cub Scouts, my dad helped me make a Pinewood Derby car. He tried to make the weight as close to the required weight as possible without going over. Late at night, he would try his best to perfect the car in the garage. 

        My dad and I looked at the maps before we went on trips. We went on many camping trips to various places including Crater Lake, Havasupai, Zion, and others. 

        I also remember that he liked to watch “Huell Howser,” and I liked watching movie reviews on “Ebert and Roeper” with him. Dad had many old black and white movies which we watched together.  We thought Charlie Chaplin and Laurel and Hardy were really funny. 

        Whenever my dad watched San Francisco teams playing, I liked seeing how excited he got, especially during the game when the Giants won the World Series.  We not only watched sports together, but played sports together. Once in a while, we got the chance to play tennis together on Sundays. During our rallies, dad sometimes pulled off a backspin that I couldn’t hit since it moved toward the net after it bounced. 

        Besides being a protective and supportive dad, he was an avid reader. In the mornings, I would see him read the L.A. Times newspaper. He usually read aloud to me the scores of a recent game, or any news that interested him. He subscribed to Time magazine because he liked to read about news happening around the world.  Because my dad liked to read a lot, I picked-up his habit and started to read the newspaper and magazines just like him. In fact, Dad saved a fortune cookie slip which says "leaders are readers.” 

It was a blessing for us to partake in celebrating Christmas with you.  I delighted in the Lord when you said 1 Corinthians 13 was yours and David's marriage scripture.  Who but God could make such a beautiful memory for you and me of your sweet David.  I was so filled with joy to hear about your wedding verse.  What a blessing to love God together and honor him together with the truth, that is true love, agape love.  Gary and I weren't quite there when we got married, but I have seen in retrospect how God makes good (Romans 8:28) of our shortcomings.  He is an awesome God!!  Thank you again for this sweet memory of you and David.  It fills me with joy because it reminds me of our good and perfect God.  His truth is truly freeing!!!  By the way, 1 Corinthians 13 is my favorite scripture too.  It very clearly defines what love is.  God IS love and I feel he defines love so beautifully in 1 Corinthians 13.  If we want to follow our master and do his will, he asks us to "love" the Lord our God with all our mind, soul and strength and to "love" our neighbor as ourselves.  It's not with the "love" that the world offers, it's not immediate, it's more a purging of our worldly desires to want to be just like him.  It's understanding that love is patient, kind, not boastful...it ALWAYS hopes, trusts, perseveres and NEVER fails.  It also covers a multitude of sins. 1 Peter 4:8 .

                       God is good!!!           
                       Loving you guys deeply, so deeply it hurts!
                       Sandy Chow

I think Dave and I kind of hit it off because we are both from the Bay Area. Dave from the East Bay and me from the Peninsula. We both commensurate with each other about our fate in SoCal. (Where we both met our brides.) Dave and Janice had been dating for a while and a couple of weeks before Thanksgiving we were discussing our plans to make our annual pilgrimage back home to the Bay Area. Dave said he was leaving on a certain day and was returning on Sunday. And I said "and ...." Dave looked back at me with a look of bewilderment. He was always on guard for my sarcasm. I said "and what about Janice?" And Dave said "what???". "Aren't you going to take Janice up with you to visit your parents?" "Well... no I hadn't really thought about it", was his reply. A couple of days later, Dave said he did it. I asked "what?" He had asked Janice about traveling with him to the Bay Area to meet his parents. Of course she said yes. He was really happy when he told me.

Janice you're going to have to proof this because I heard this 3rd hand. And the rest is history, after a few trips to the Bay Area, Dave finally proposed to Janice in the Stanford Quad under a full moon. Tradition is that when a girl is proposed to in such a way she becomes a Stanford woman. True?

There you go Janice. I really can't believe Dave is gone. I was down in the dumps all day at work; with five meetings to go to. Unfortunately I won't be able to make Dave's service. We have too much going on at church (Advent) and the kids are in their last of the semester performances. (choir/shows).

Our families thoughts and prayers go out to you and your children at this time of loss.

I’ll never forget how funny & witty Dave Nakagaki was that Sunday. Dave was the pulpit chairman that day. He was the person who would introduce what was coming next, and make announcements. It was in those days that we used to include Jana Alayra songs during the worship/praise time. One of the favorites was “Jump, Jump, Jump.” We had sung it that morning.

One of the announcements was that there were a couple cars with their headlights on. After he had read off the descriptions of the cars, he said something like this: “Hopefully, you won’t need to jump jump jump your car into the light, light, light!” It was so funny & spontaneous. Everyone laughed. I’m sorry that my memory has faded & I can’t recall his exact words, but you get the drift.

Later, I asked Janice, “Dave was so funny! Is he like this at home?” She answered a surprised, “No!” I think she probably thought, “Who is that guy and what have they done with my husband?”

Compared to eternity, it will only be a little while and I’ll get to tell Dave how funny he was. I know he’ll just respond with his distinctive laugh. But until then, I will rejoice that Dave is in the loving presence of the Lord Jesus.

The first time I met Dave, as well as Janice was when we were paired off as couples during a seminar break-out discussion group at Mt. Hermon family camp many years ago. I am thankful for Dave and his family as they supported us during difficult times the past few years. Praying for God's love and peace for Janice, Michael, and Christine.

I first met Dave Nakagaki over 24 years ago when we – Minnie Uchizono, Ron Fukuoka, and I were taking a Saturday morning golf class at Coastline Community College. There was this tall, very quiet Japanese young man with a great smile in our class. After several attempts to make conversation, we asked if he attended church and when he said, “No,” all three of us practically pounced on him with an invitation to come to Wintersburg. After a few weeks of this, we almost gave up, until one day he and I were talking about a trip Tom and I were gonna take and he said he had been there and had a lot of pamphlets from his trip. I boldly told him, “Hey Dave, why don’t you bring them with you and come to church with us tomorrow. My husband and I will be waiting for you at the back parking lot!” He just kinda smiled, but did not make a commitment.

The next morning, Tom and I waited patiently for him on the landing, and I prayed he would show up. Sure enough, he appeared! I should have known he was too much of a gentleman to keep an old lady waiting!! Praise God, he came for several weeks, sitting with us as we tried to introduce him to many people. He was happy to see Roy Higa, one of his co-workers, and to know that Tom knew a couple other of his workmates very well. Slowly, he relaxed, and started mingling with the young adults. A couple months after he started at Wintersburg, we had the Church picnic at Hart Park in Orange. I saw he and Janice talking and laughing together, and I smiled, knowing he was gonna be just fine! The Lord has a way of working things out.

When I think of Dave, I remember him early in his Christian walk. He was so eager to learn and grow in the Lord. I am not positive about this fact, but I think he was the first one of the "Monday Night Group" to lead a study. He was ready and willing to challenge himself to grow.

During his first Mount Herman conference, I remember that this passage really struck him. It seems the Spirit really spoke to him on this. It is from Isaiah 58:6-9.

Is not this the fast that I choose:
to loose the bonds of wickedness,
to undo the thongs of the yoke,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to break every yoke?
Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,
and bring the homeless poor into your house;
when you see the naked, to cover him,
and not to hide yourself from you own flesh?
Then shall your light break forth like the dawn,
and your healing shall spring up speedily;
your righteousness shall go before you,
the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.
Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer;
you shall cry, and He will say, Here I am.

I think the reason it resonated for him was that in the preceding passages, Isaiah talks about the wrong kind of fasting, where it was all for show and there was no substance to it. People tried to look good, but their hearts were not right. They were still fighting and oppressing the weak and just acting selfishly. Dave sought the true fast Isaiah spoke about. Dave strove to live out his faith rather than just pretend. He knew it was a matter of the heart and not just nice words or an act.

He took his walk seriously and he looked out for others. He wanted to see the light break forth and witness the healing. He wanted to hear the Lord say, "Here I am." He got his wish.

I remember hanging out with Dave and Janice at the young adult functions back in the 1980s. On one of the ski trips I found out what a great skier Dave was. He was always very humble and seemed embarrassed when told how good he was. At another party, I can’t forget how Dave and Janice dressed up as an old couple. They were hilarious and had one of the more memorable make-up jobs and costumes that I can recall. I also remember helping them move from their previous house and how we managed to crash the U-Haul into their car. I was amazed that Dave didn’t seem upset.

Dave had a great sense of humor and would play along with some friendly teasing. He was also a quick wit and could give a good comeback. A typical exchange would be, “Hey Big Dave, did you know that my alma mater is known as the Harvard of the West.” I knew this would get to a Stanford grad. He would give a look of mock amazement and say, “Wow, I didn’t know that!” Then he would kind of tilt his head a little and squint his eyes and with a confused expression and a hint of apprehension say, “Wait, didn’t they claim to have discovered cold fusion a few years ago,” a claim that didn’t pan out and caused some embarrassment. “Touché Dave,” I would say. Then he would laugh that rapid-fire heh, heh, heh laugh and smile. Yeah, I will miss that laugh and smile.

I always enjoyed looking for Dave after service to chitchat about sports. He would faithfully listen to my lamentations about the various teams that I follow and what I thought they were doing wrong. He would feign deep thought and then with a look of having solved a great problem suggest that I suit up and play. We would laugh and contemplate how much eligibility I had left. He really enjoyed talking about Stanford sports and especially the football team these last few years. I would have looked for him after the last game to congratulate him on their win. He would have been excited about the Rose Bowl, and I know that he will be watching from the best seat in the house on New Year’s Day. I’ll miss you Dave. Go Cardinal.

There was a summer at Mt. Hermon when I would go down to the gym in the early morning around 4:30 AM since I am an early riser. Dave would come in a little before 5 AM and though he was a man of few words, he mentioned that he was surprised that I beat him to the gym since he was also an early riser. By the end of the week when I was consistently there before him, he exclaimed , “Wow, you really do get up early!” We laughed about it.

~ Gordon Gee

When I think of Dave, I immediately have a picture of his quiet smile and gentle nature. It was always a blessing to have him serve as a lay leader for service. As Michael has grown up into a young man I remember being so amazed at how much he resembles Dave.

~ Heidi Gee

The temperature outside was finally dying down to the low nineties at JoAn and Keith Kenmotsu’s Placentia home when most of the adults and kids from our small group decided to brave the sun on bikes and scooters after another one of their infamous potluck/BBQ get-togethers. As the chaotic quest for helmets, bikes and dog leashes died down, and the sound of murmured laughter grew faint, Dave and I discovered that we were the only two adults left at home to watch the few lazy, sleepy, or weather savvy kids who were too smart to venture the hot trek to Tri-City Park. The mood quickly calmed as the children settled down for a nap or board games. Dave and I stared a bit awkwardly at each other as we both sank into comfortable chairs in the Kenmotsu’s air-conditioned living room. I had known Dave for years. We had laughed together, shared many meals, gone camping, debated in Bible study, and prayed for each other and our families. For me, Dave had always been defined in my mind as Janice’s husband, or Christine and Michael’s father, or a brother in Christ with whom I had served with at church, but he had never been simply Dave.

On that hot summer afternoon in the the cool respite of the Kenmotsu’s home, I was given a chance to see a side of Dave not many have been privileged. Many know Dave’s distinctive laugh, unique humor, and his quiet and unassuming manner, but that afternoon I was awed by Dave the conversationalist. I had so much fun just talking with him! There was not a single moment of lapsed conversation, after the initial “Now what?” We flowed easily from one topic to the next without hesitation. We discussed the simple perfection of Frank Lloyd Wright’s architectural designs. He let me espouse on the reasons I think Crime and Punishment by Dostoyevsky is one of the best written stories dealing with man’s internal struggle with guilt and sin. He totally understood when I confessed to him that for a brief time in college I considered learning Russian in order to read the story in its original language. As the minutes clicked by and the sun lowered in the horizon, Dave brought up a myriad of topics touching upon history, photography, and art, including Picasso’s found art sculpture Bull’s Head, and many others things that are now just fuzzy memories.

I was a bit saddened when our conversation was abruptly interrupted by the squeaky screen door letting in the rush of sweaty kids, dogs and tired bikers. At that moment, I knew I was given a very special afternoon with a Dave that few are privy. That day I was struck by his humbleness as I realized how deep Dave’s interests and intellect ran. Someday I hope to tap into those deep roots again to continue our conversation that will not be interrupted by the squeak of a screen door, time constraints, or even death. As a fellow believer in Christ, I look upon Dave’s passing as only a pause in conversation, a breather, before we meet again with the Lord in heaven. I am sure Dave would want to extend an invitation to all his friends and family to join that future conversation through the saving grace of Jesus Christ.

I'll always have fond memories of the Monday Night Bible Study that Dave led at Wintersburg. We were like a family, and although it was hard to tell with all of the fun and laughter, we always appreciated the amount of work Dave diligently put into every week's study, and we took his lessons to heart. With “Spiritual Dave” leading, we knew we were in good hands. Under Dave's leadership, the study flourished at Wintersburg.

Dave and I used to golf once a week at the local par-3. I remember always looking forward to Thursday nights and the good times that we would have together, laughing and joking. Dave got me my first golf cart for “$2.00 at a garage sale,” he said. I still have it...

Dave was responsible for one of the most awesome Trivial Pursuit comebacks that I had ever seen, correctly answering ten questions in a row to snatch victory from certain defeat. I wanted to be mad at him for beating me, but I couldn't – I was too impressed...

Dear Michael and Christine,

I wanted to write to you about your dad, Dave Nakagaki. Long ago, maybe before you remember our family, Shige, Josephine, Jon and maybe Greg went camping with your family. I don’t know if you remember how a large group of us would go camping in the fall. On those camp trips two families would pair up to take turns preparing a meal for both families. It was your family’s turn to prepare breakfast. Your dad was in charge that morning, while your mom took care of you. I was impressed by your dad as he made breakfast. He had his own way of preparing the pancake batter and cooking them. He was persistent, determined, and focused. Cooking outdoors is not the same as at home. He was patient as he cooked each individual pancake for each of us. I don’t’ remember if Greg was born yet, so there at least seven of us. Your dad didn’t complain, and was fine doing it all by himself.

I was a housemate of your mom. I care for her greatly. Seeing your dad’s quiet, persistent temperament, as he cooked that morning, assured me he truly cared for your mom and you. Your dad was a quiet and undemanding man. He was gentle and had an infectious giggle that would make your mom laugh too.

You had a father who cared in very quiet ways for you. I’m sorry for your loss. No words can comfort the hurt, but maybe to recall your dad’s quiet ways he expressed his love for you and your mom will help.

Praying for you,
Brenda Sing-Ota

I do not remember how "Spiritual Dave & His Lovely Wife, Janice" got their nicknames, but I do remember Dave and Janice were very faithful about attending Small Group/Bible Study. I remember Dave was always very well prepared. He had a lot of knowledge, a hunger for learning, and a gentle way of teaching. The way he spoke made you want to listen to what he had to say/share. Although he was somewhat self-deprecating, he never put anyone else down. He had a great laugh, more of a chuckle, and a smile that would light up the room. It was marvelous to see how much he loved Janice, his family, his extended family, and the Lord. He was an inspiration; a wonderful, kind, gentle, sweet, thoughtful, dependable, generous man. He seemed to always be looking to see what else needed to be done, or who else needed help. You knew if you asked him to do something, it would get done, and probably even better than you planned. (In those days, it seemed like I was always asking for something!) He was supportive of whatever needed doing. He provided a listening ear, and open heart to anyone who needed it. Although I haven't seen them in a while, I always smiled when thinking of him/them. Dave & Janice are such a strong team; it's hard to think of one without the other. They seemed blessed to be together, and while I know he is in a better place, his passing leaves such a huge hole, in our hearts and lives.

In 1977, during our last quarter at Stanford, the Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County came on campus to conduct job interviews.  Dave, Rick Trubiano, and I accepted job offers from the Districts and decided to room together in Southern California.  Prior to starting our jobs with the Districts, Dave, Rick and I drove to Southern California to meet various department and section heads at the Districts to help decide which section each of us would be assigned to.  Being starving students at the time, we looked for the cheapest hotel near the Districts’ office and stayed at the Motel 6 in Rosemead.  Right next to the Motel 6 was a Charley Brown’s Steakhouse.  We couldn’t afford to eat there but vowed to have dinner there after we got our first paycheck, which we did.  It still brings back fond memories every time I drive by.

After visiting the Districts, we drove to Huntington Beach to find a place to rent.  We found a small 3 bedroom house that we like, but the real estate agent said the owner didn’t want to rent it to 3 young, single guys.  We were happy when the agent finally convinced the owner to rent the house to us.  I assumed at the time that the agent vouched for us as 3 responsible professionals.  However, thinking back now, the agent probably told the owner that we were 3 quiet, nerdy engineers that wouldn’t party and damage the house.

I was the only one with a car at the time, so several weeks later, I picked up Dave and Rick at Dave’s parents’ house in San Francisco to move to Huntington Beach.  Everything the 3 of us had fit in a small U-Haul trailer that I was pulling with my car.  Life was much simpler back then.  After we moved in, we spent our free time looking for the cheapest things we could find to furnish the house.  Nothing matched, but it didn’t matter since we were guys and engineers.  When we moved to our own places about a year later, we somehow convinced Dave to take most of the cheap furnishings with him.  I am sure he got rid of it all by the time he met Janice.  It was great having Dave as a roommate.  We helped each other transition from being students dependent on support from our parents to becoming independent adults.  We took turns cooking, and since Dave never cooked before, it was an adventure in the beginning when it was Dave’s turn to cook.

Some people are different when they are in public and some change with age, but Dave has always remained the same friendly, kind, patient, and helpful person that I roomed with over 35 years ago.  I didn’t fully appreciate it at the time, but do now and will miss it.

I had the privilege of knowing Dave as a colleague at the Districts, as a friend and as a neighbor.  He was well-read and articulate.  He had a great sense of humor.   He was a loyal employee, sincere friend, devoted husband, and loving father.  You will never meet anyone with more integrity nor kind-hearted soul.

When I lived in West Los Angeles he moved in down the hall from me into the same apartment building while he attended the MBA program at UCLA.  During that time I bought the Christmas presents that the engineers gave to our department secretaries.  Even though Dave was on a leave of absence from work, true to form, when he saw what I was doing he insisted on chipping in.  He then took the gifts into his apartment and returned 15 minutes later with the packages perfectly wrapped. 

His sense of humor was unique.  On one occasion an employee had been looking forward with great anticipation to her divorce becoming final.  When the day finally arrived Dave came into work early and adorned her desk with streamers and a sign that read “JUST DIVORCED!”   In October 1989 he attended a conference in San Francisco and stayed with his parents when the Loma Prieta Earthquake hit.  Five years later in 1994 his parents visited Dave and his family in Southern California when the Northridge Earthquake occurred.  He then quipped to his parents, “I love and appreciate you so much, I just wanted to return the favor.” 

There was no topic about which he could not converse.   Sports, history, politics, science, literature and philosophy were all fair game for Dave.  I once asked him if his parents were placed in relocation camps during World War II.  He responded that his father was sent to one of them.  Rather than complain with hostility about that unfortunate chapter in our history and the indignity of it all, Dave said that his father persevered and when the war ended went on with his life.  So, too, Dave persevered in his all-too-short life, appreciated what he had and rarely complained. 

Most importantly, Dave was kind, thoughtful, and generous.  I am grateful to have known him and been his friend.  May his memory be for a blessing.  I shall miss him.

Your death has taught me that we must appreciate the time we have on this earth and always do our best to seve the Lord.

Thank you David for being an usher at your church!

Thank you God for allowing our family to know David and his family!

David, Janice, Christine, and Michael,

We met their family three years ago at a social skills group which my son and Michael were attending.  Sometimes all the family would attend but a lot of times David would come because Janice was busy driving Christine to cheerleading or horse backriding.  David would bring a book or look at a magazine, but if anyone would talk to him directly he would always be cheerful and courteous.  A lot of times I would come with a burden on my heart or just needed a friendly listener to talk to  He would always put down his reading and listen.  He was always generous with his time and would let the boys play and talk for a while after the meeting.  Several times he would drive James home from a get together at his home, and would come inside and make Greg my husband feel good because he would smile and chit chat.

I was always impressed that Dave and Janice would go to Bible studies together, and appreciative that their son would invite James to attend.  They would go out of their way to either drive him one or both ways.  We attended several of Michael/s birthday parties, and again if he saw anyone in need of conversation, there he was like an angel keeping everyone happy.

Michael and James would talk about their dads and they both agreed they wanted to grow up and be like them.  Michael was always sharing how very proud and helpful his dad was to him and how much he respected him and loved him.

Dave was never in a bad mood or complained about anything.  Our family had the privelege of attending the Safari Park with them before school began.  Dave enjoyed the animals and taking lots of pictures.

What a blessing this family has been to our family.  Inviting James to youth group, meeting us for lunch after church, and always cheerful and happy.

We could not have asked for better friends.  Thank you God for their friendship.

Shared by Tom LeBrun  

David started work as an Associate Engineer in the Planning Section in 1977 where he worked on various projects and became acquainted with environmental analyses and environmental impact reports.  After several years, David took the opportunity to leave the office and transferred to be an Operation’s Engineer at one of the largest wastewater treatment plants in the United States.   David later returned to the office and worked as a Senior Planning Engineer in the Solid Waste Management Department.

I had the good fortune to work with David since he started work with the Sanitation Districts - initially as a co-worker and most recently as the Department Manager for Solid Waste Planning.  David was quiet but also very intelligent and thoughtful.  He had the unique talent of researching an issue to uncover the entire history of events and then using that information to develop approaches to solve the problems at hand.   

David accumulated vast knowledge of State and Federal laws and regulations regarding solid waste and environmental issues.  David worked on all aspects of solid waste management including:  analyzing environmental impacts, working with regulators, performing economic analyses, and developing master plans for landfill and recycling facilities.  David represented the Sanitation Districts in many Solid Waste Professional Organizations and freely shared his knowledge with others.