James “Jimmy” Iwao Shimada

James "Jimmy" Iwao Shimada, a lifelong farmer and resident of Woodland, California passed away at home on October 10th, 2023, thirteen days shy of his 97th birthday.He was born in Darien, Georgia on October 23rd, 1926 and was the third child to immigrants Sadami and Yoshiko Shimada – originally from Yamaguchi-Ken Japan.Because of the alien land law barring immigrants from Asia buying and owning land, his family moved frequently from town to town working in agriculture in both the Sacramento & San Joaquin Valley's.Due to World War II and the signing of Executive Order 9066 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, he and his family were 1 of 110,000 Japanese Americans forced from their homes. His family was first incarcerated at the Arboga Assembly Center near Marysville in May of 1942, before being transferred to the Tule Lake Internment Camp upon its completion in Newell, California of that same year.He was released from the camp in March of 1946 and returned to the Sacramento Delta region in Clarksburg where we worked for a farm labor contractor moving mainline irrigation pipe.Upon reuniting with his family, he resumed his education and graduated from Woodland High School in 1947. In 1948 he and his family became Campbell Soup tomato growers operating under "S. Shimada & Sons", before leaving to serve in the US army in 1953. He was stationed in Fort Lee, Virginia and Fussen, Germany where he earned the rank of "SP 3" before being honorably discharged in 1955.He returned to farming with his parents and brother in the Woodland area and farmed with his sons until his retirement in 2004. He spent his final years working in his garden, attending his grandchildren's school and sporting events, and traveling.He is preceded in death by his parents, eldest sister Hatsue Kawamura (100 years old) and grandsons Paul Jeffrey and Timmy Cano Jr. His other sister, Toshiko Sakata (98 years old) passed away unexpectedly on October 23rd. James is survived by his wife of 62 years Sayoko and sons, Jeffrey (Paula), Mitchell (Tomoko), Alvin, and grand children Evan Shimada, Mick Shimada, and Sydni Stinson (Jason), great-grandchildren Joseph, Sophia, and Carter Stinson, younger brother David Shimada (May) and numerous nephews and nieces.The family is grateful to the Woodland Fire Department, EMT's, Reverend Yuki Sugihara and staff of the Sacramento Buddhist Temple, and funeral representatives Stuart Ito, Henry Shigaki, Craig Leathers, Keith Kimura, and J Kimura.Memorial services were held on October 21st at the Sacramento Buddhist Temple and he is interned at the Sacramento Valley National Cemetery in Dixon with military honors.