My thought and prayers go to his family. Another legend passes away...- Peter
Modeling the Bellefonte Central Railroad
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deeply loved by his family and friends, passed away on March 12, 2010. Utao was born January 5, 1922 in West Jordan, Utah to Kurasuke Shimizu and Kazuno Kawahara. After his father died Kazuno married Kenshiro Waki. After being honorably discharged from the United States Army as a Sergeant at the end of World War II, he worked on his family's farm in Murray. Inheriting the farm's South Bend lathe led to his profession as a machinist and later an injection mold designer/maker as well as a passion for scratch building HO scale brass locomotives. Utao's skill as an ultimate craftsman became known nationwide in part because of an article in the national publication "Model Railroader" in 1961. At the time his "Big Boy" locomotive model was considered the pinnacle of model railroad scratch building. Utao's models are still coveted today by collectors. He married Yasuko Bessie Amano on March 12, 1954. He worked at Geneva Steel in the early 1960's and as a machinist in Orem, Utah until 1965 when he, Bessie, and his sons moved to Salt Lake City. He was an exceptionally hard worker maintaining multiple jobs while raising his family. Utao is survived by his wife Bessie and sons Randy, Matthew, and Mark, sisters Wilma, Betty Jean, half-sister Kimie, and stepsister Mary. Preceded in death by brothers Sam, Choke, sister Yomi, stepbrothers George, Teruji, and stepsister Smiley. Viewing will be held Saturday, March 20, 2010 from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Mountain View Mortuary & Cemetery, 3115 East 7800 South, Salt Lake City, Utah. Funeral Services will be held immediately after at 2:00 p.m.
Published in Salt Lake Tribune on March 17, 2010
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