The Exceptional Life and Times of George Teraoka

Grower, Farmer, Family Man, Mentor Was Devoted to Spreading the Dharma; He Passed Away at Age 102

George Toshiyuki Teraoka was larger than life, and what a life it was — all 102 years of it.

For the record, Teraoka was a grower, farmer, food processor, inventor, devoted family man, mentor to thousands of people, and a dedicated community servant. 

He had a charismatic personality, and was an affable, articulate man with boundless energy and curiosity. He gave freely of his time to spreading the Dharma and lived a life of selflessness, humility and gratitude. 

George Teraoka passed away on Dec. 26, 2023, with his family at his side.

Funeral services were held Jan. 27 at the Buddhist Church of Fowler.

In Fowler, and in Central California, Teraoka was particularly well-known and highly regarded. But his impact was felt throughout the Buddhist Churches of America (BCA) from the time he served as the first charter President of the Western Federation of Dharma School Teachers’ League (now the Federation of Dharma School Teachers’ League (FDSTL) to the BCA’s National Board, where he served as a Central California District representative for many years. He taught Dharma School at the Buddhist Church of Fowler for 65 years — into his 90s. 

And Teraoka’s influence continues to live on — through his prominent son-in-law, former Bishop Rev. Kodo Umezu, in the countless Fowler Dharma School students like San Jose Buddhist Church Betsuin Minister’s Assistant Sumi Tanabe, who has gone on to her own remarkable accomplishments with the San Jose Betsuin and the BCA — as well as his granddaughter, Rev. Ko’e Umezu, of the West Los Angeles Buddhist Temple.

Indeed, Teraoka was a Minister’s Assistant decades before the BCA created the category.

“Growing up, I always just thought of my Dad as any other Dad, who just happened to teach Dharma School and go to other churches or conferences to speak,” said Janet Umezu, the bomori of former Bishop and BCA Minister Emeritus Rev. Kodo Umezu. “He was just our Dad who was involved in civic activities, such as Boy Scouts, the Fowler Historical Society, JACL, etc. It really wasn’t until I was older that I realized what a remarkable person he was. He had a zest for life, enjoyed socializing with people and always had a curious mind. It’s what led him to create some of his own machinery on the farm as well as build his own computer.

“It wasn’t until my husband became Bishop and we traveled to various temples and districts that I realized that my Dad knew so many people,” Janet Umezu continued. “Individuals would come up to me and share stories about my father, and let me know how much they enjoyed his talks  when they had the opportunity to hear him speak. Also, I’d often see people who grew up in Fowler being so active in their respective temples. 

“I am surprised that from one small temple, Fowler has produced two ministers, one ministerial aspirant along with a few minister’s assistants,” she said. “It made me wonder how much influence my Dad had in planting the seed of the Dharma in his students. My Dad never pounded the Dharma in our heads, but had the desire to share the Dharma with anyone who was willing to listen.”

Rev. Umezu, the President of the Jodo Shinshu International Office,  praised his father-in-law for being an influential figure in his life.

“I was always being encouraged by George Teraoka to do more than I could ever possibly do as a minister,” Rev. Umezu said. “It was his own burning desire that the teaching of Buddha needed to be shared with more people. Whenever I was with him, he always expressed his deep concern about what I was doing to make Buddhism spread in this country and how I was going about doing it. 

“Those who know George have probably heard his story of how his deep appreciation of Buddhism developed,” he continued. “It all began when he sought out Rev. Chiko Shizuka Kai at the Jerome mass incarceration camp in Arkansas to seek advice about a burning question he had. He learned from Rev. Kai that one of the aspects of Buddhism is ‘Muga-no-kyo,’ or the teaching of egolessness. Rev. Kai’s message really opened his eyes. He realized that we are always disagreeing and or fighting with each other because of our ego. He realized that this is the true condition of the world today, which we are witnessing at this very moment.” 

Rev. Umezu said that after he retired four years ago from being an active minister in the BCA, Teraoka asked him to take over his farm. 

“I don’t know what he saw in me, as I am someone who cannot even take care of my own yard,” Rev. Umezu said. “But, as I reflect on his life, George was truly a community farmer in the deeper sense of the word. He did not only cultivate the land to grow fruit, but he dedicated his life to cultivating the minds of other people by sharing his deep appreciation of the Dharma.

“I have always respected George’s aspiration to make it so that Buddhism can be heard by more people,” Rev. Umezu continued. “It is like the wish of Amida Buddha. Through George’s last radio message that is also published in this issue of the Wheel of Dharma, I hope George’s words can speak for themselves and that all of you can receive George’s wish that the Dharma continue to be shared in our communities and throughout this country.”

George Teraoka was born in Lodi, California, on May 13, 1921. He attended grade school in Fowler, spoke as valedictorian of his eighth-grade class and graduated from Fowler High School in 1939.  

In May 1942, Teraoka, who was 21 at the time, and his family were uprooted from Fowler and relocated to the Jerome, Arkansas, and then Rohwer, Arkansas, mass incarceration camps, where he helped with electrical needs. 

He joined the U.S. Army and was placed on reserve. While his family remained in camp for the remainder of World War II, he obtained a permit to work in St. Louis, Missouri, about 450 miles away from the camp. His knowledge of electronics and radio allowed him to get a job repairing juke boxes and coin-operated electronic equipment.  

While in St. Louis, he met and married Mary Nobuko Kawahara of Portland, Oregon, whose family was at the Minidoka, Idaho, mass incarceration camp. The couple had two sons, Tom and Steven. He operated a dry cleaning business in St. Louis. 

In 1950, Teraoka returned to Fowler to take over the family farm. He often commented that so many Missourians were very kind to him during his time in St. Louis.

In Fowler, he embarked on a long and committed life dedicated to family, community service, youth mentoring and church leadership. The couple had three more children, Robert, Janet and Kathy.  

In addition to producing plums, peaches, nectarines, and raisins over the years, he grew the family farm into becoming one of the largest producers of boysenberries in the country. He invented the first boysenberry mechanical harvester.

When his sons joined the Scouting programs, Teraoka volunteered as Cub Scout Pack 390 leader, and later, as Boy Scout Troop 390 leader. He continued his commitment to Scouting for over 25 years, serving as the Chairman of the Kings River District of the Boy Scouts Sequoia Council, and then as Council Commissioner for the Sequoia Council. He served on the staff of the National Boy Scouts Jamboree in Fort Hill, Virginia, and as a Cabinet Member of the Western Region of the Boy Scouts of America. He was ultimately bestowed the highest Boy Scouts service awards, the “Sequoia Medal” and the “Silver Beaver Award.” 

He embraced volunteer work and the list of organizations that benefited from his service was lengthy: board member of the Boysenberry Growers’ Association; Chairman of the California State Bushberry Advisory Board; Chairman of the Central California Farmer’s Co-op; President of the Japanese American Citizens League in Fowler; board member and Vice Chairman of the Nisei Farmers League; member of the Board of Directors of the Fresno City and County Historical Society; two terms on the Fresno County Grand Jury; and on the inaugural Board of Directors of the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles.

He served multiple terms as President of the Buddhist Church of Fowler, and was on the Board of Directors for the BCA. He spoke at countless church-related conferences, events and radio broadcasts.

Teraoka also mentored thousands of youth through his involvement with Scouting, Dharma School, and the FDSTL. During these years, he wrote many letters of recommendation.

He also found time to develop personal interests and hobbies. He was proud to be a member of the Fowler Friday Evening Club since 1977 where he listened to and gave many scholarly presentations. He was also a member of the Fowler Historical Society.  

He also pursued scuba diving, operated an amateur radio or ham radio, “shigin” (Japanese poetry), and piloted his own Cessna airplane on trips to many destinations, including Reno, Las Vegas, Utah, Seattle and Mexico. He and Mary loved ballroom dancing and helped to found the Fowler Dance Club.

In 2004, George Teraoka was honored by the City of Fowler as the Honored Pioneer of Fowler, and he and Mary served as the Grand Marshalls of the 73rd Fowler Fall Festival Parade.

In 2013, Teraoka was named the “2013 Fowler Citizen of the Year.”

In the spring of 2023, Teraoka attended a pilgrimage to the Jerome and Rohwer mass incarceration camps in Arkansas, where he visited the rural setting — for the first time in 81 years — where his early adult life journey began and where he discovered the teaching of the Dharma.

Upon Teraoka’s passing, the 2024 Jerome-Rohwer Pilgrimage was dedicated to his memory.

Teraoka was predeceased by his wife of 74 years, Mary Teraoka; his parents, Sawataro and Asano Teraoka; his sisters, Miki (Edward)  Kurimura, Kaye (James) Hashimoto and Mari Teramoto; and grandson Michael Teraoka. 

He is survived by his five children, Tom (Jenny) Teraoka of Huntington Beach, Steve (Marsha) Teraoka of Hillsborough, Robert Teraoka of Clovis, Janet (Kodo) Umezu of San Leandro, and Kathy (Doren) Lee of Fresno; nine grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews, including Ken Hashimoto, who resided with George Teraoka in his final days.

At his funeral service, lifelong Fowler Sangha member and co-Vice President Gary Mukai was among those who shared their memories of George Teraoka.

“Does anyone hold the secret to a long and fruitful life?” Mukai said. “Of course, much of longevity is genetic …. I am not sure there is any one person that holds the secret, but you can certainly study the life of someone that has lived a long and productive life and try to live your life according to the example that someone has set before you. 

“There is no doubt that George Teraoka can be the perfect example of what we can do,” Mukai continued. “So a good adage of what we can do to live life to its fullest while facing life’s challenges is to ask yourself, ‘What would George do?’

Mukai described Teraoka’s character as one of humility and gratitude.

“When you were in conversation with George, he would always have a way of making you feel as if you were the most important person in the room,” he said. “He would humble himself before you. He would frequently express his gratitude for all the blessings in his life and was always striving to be the best husband, father, grandfather, relative and friend he could be. We are truly fortunate to have known George and we can take all the lessons we have learned from him and use them to face any challenges in our own lives by asking, ‘What would George do?’”

The Teraoka family and the Fresno Bee contributed to this article.