We Remember
KOGA, Morio
—
Morio Koga, golfer, husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, friend and did we mention golfer, passed away peacefully on January 16, 2013 surrounded by his loving family.
If you asked anyone to describe Morio, they would say he was a soft-spoken, kind, generous, fiercely competitive sportsman. If you asked him, he would say he was a quiet, intelligent, fiercely competitive Super Athlete! If you asked his children, they would say he was a coach, master backyard rink builder, champion nap taker and the world’s greatest Dad. Whether it was golf, hockey, bowling, baseball, basketball, boxing, paper airplane making, or even the Koga Family Olympics, he loved sports. In his younger days, Morio, along with his brothers, played baseball and softball for the Kelowna Adanacs and the Rutland Rovers. Morio enjoyed a stellar bowling career, bowling a perfect game and even winning a brand new Chevy 2 Hardtop in 1963. He had been a member of the Kelowna Golf & Country Club for over 40 years, winning the 1984 Kelowna Open (low net) and not 1 but 3 hole-in-ones, were some of his highlights. Morio enjoyed coaching his sons in hockey and baseball. In 1980, Morio was nominated for the Bob Giordano Civic Award, an award given to the Kelowna citizen who has contributed significantly through voluntary service to amateur sports. Although he didn’t win, he was very honored to be nominated.
Morio was spoiled by his wife Carol of 52 years, cherished by his four children: Janice Richardson (predeceased by husband Ross), Gary (Pam), Diane Dovey (Philip) and Bob (Shauntelle) and treasured by his grandchildren: Lee (Andrew), Heather (Connor), Jennifer, Matthew, Emma and Sophie.
Morio was born in Kelowna on March 5, 1927 to Suekichio and Hatsu Koga. Survived by sisters: Yukie Sakaki (Shig), Emiko Moore (Cyril) and brothers Mits (Bessy) and Suey (Mary) and many, many nephews and nieces. Predeceased by sisters Yoshino, Sumiko, Kimi Nakata (Soichi), Eiko Chiba (Harry) and Yoshie Yamashita (Shig).
Please join us for a celebration of Morio’s life at the Kelowna Buddhist Temple, 1089 Borden Avenue, Kelowna, BC on Thursday, January 24th at 7:00 pm. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the charity of your choice.
Service
Thursday, January 24th at 7:00 pm
Location
Kelowna Buddhist Temple
Share with Others:
charity of your choice
Service Information
Service Details
The service for KOGA, Morio is scheduled for Thursday, January 24th at 7:00 pm. Below you will find the map for the service location and the contact information should you have any questions.
Address & Contact for Service Location:
Kelowna Buddhist Temple
1089 Borden Avenue Kelowna, BC
Phone:
Special Requests:
None.
Funeral Pointers:
Condolences
Dear Carol and family we are sadden by the loss of your beloved husband,father,grandfather .thinking about you at this sad time .Nobby&Gen Wildemann
We just wanted you to know our thoughts and prayers are with your whole family. Dave has a lot of fond memories growing up and skating on your pond with your dad.
It is with great saddness in heart to hear of your loss. My prayers and thoughts are with you in this tuff time. If there is anything I can do please let me know.
Alex and boys
My condolences to the Koga family. I have many fond memories of Mr. Koga driving us to hockey rinks in the valley and the discussions that followed the game. Our prayers are with you during this difficult time.
Our sincere sympathies. What happy memories we have of the times spent with Morio both in hockey arenas and on the orchard. What a great guy he was. Our thoughts are with you at this time.
My condolences to the Koga Family. Our prayers and thoughts go out to you at this difficult time.
Dear Janice, Lee, Mrs. Koga and family,
We are sorry to see that your beloved father, grandfather, and husband has passed on. Mala always spoke of what a wonderful man he was and how much she admired his drive for life. What a wonderful legacy he has left in the form of your family. We send caring thoughts at this time of loss and sadness.
Growing up on Morio”s (Mr. Koga) farm was an experience that i took for granted, until i was (grown up), and moved away. Not everyone in the real world is honest, kind,non-judjmental, and unselfish. Not every neighbor gets up and floods an olympic size ice rink for anyone that wants to to come and use. Not everyone lets a little kid follow them around, and ask them dumb questions, and answers them patiently. Not everyone laughs when you break their stuff, and doesn’t hold it against you no matter what you’ve done. I’ve met a lot of people from many different walks of life, very few can compare in any catagory with Mr. Koga. Most of us only wish we could be more like him. I could ramble on for many pages, but I’ll keep it short, my sincerest sympathies to the Koga family.
Our family was saddened to hear of Mario’s passing… I am grateful for the visit this past summer, his sly smile will forever be with me. Our thoughts and prayers are with all of you.
Sandy, Sarah, Liam & Elijah
Sorry to hear of the passing of your husband and Dad, he was a great Rutland pioneer and a kind soft-spoken man. Thinking of you.
our sincere condolences go out to the Koga family Mario was a great man/ hockey coach/ an friend he will be missed greatly
Our thoughts and prayers are with you all at this time. Sending you lots of love. xoxox
It was truly a blessing to have known Mr.Koga. I still feel the need to call him that purely out of respect for who he was and the profound affect he has had on my life. Master back-yard rink builder is so true, and brings back so many fond memories. Gary, miss you brother, and hope to be able to see you soon! My deepest sympathies are with you all during this challenging time.
Dear Auntie Carol, Janice, Gary, Diane and Bob: I was sorry to hear that Uncle Morio has passed away. It’s been too long since we’ve been to Kelowna! I will make it one of this family’s goals. Take care of yourselves, Sharon
It is with great sadness to hear Morio has passed away, my sincerest condolences to the Koga family. It is also with great fondness that I remember my years in minor hockey with Morio and Gary, the experiences we all shared as a result of such a great dynamic gentleman, coach and mentor Morio was. He will be sorely missed.
To Carol and your Family; It is with great Sadness that I read of the Passing of My old Friend and your beloved Morio, Please accept our sincere condolences, please know that our thoughts and prayers are with you all at this sad time, Sincerely
Bill Jurome & Brenda
Hi Carol: Attached another picture of
the Jurome Orchards Mixed Bowling Team, Those were the good old days Hey !
Sad news about the passing of a great man. Hard to think of anyone who gave more of his time to help out with minor hockey and minor baseball. Generous with his time and sage advice,often given to a group of over bearing teenagers who weren’t always keen to listen (myself at the top of the list). Many happy memories of skating on the rink that only Mr. Koga could make, complete with nets and lights, and the cocoa that Mrs. Koga would bring down to warm us up. A life well lived. Condolences to the Kogas from the Nugent clan.
We are thinking of you all. Hugs, Wendy and Brian
Our condolences to the Koga Family. Our prayers and thoughts go out to you at this difficult time.
Jim, Christina, Samantha, Pieteke and Anneke MacMahon
To the Koga family, our thoughts are with you. I have many fond memories of Uncle Morio. Condolences from Stu, Kim, Owen and Quinlyn Harvey
To the Koga family, our thoughts are with you. I have many fond memories of Uncle Morio. Our condolences, Stu, Kim, Owen and Quinlyn
I’m so sorry I can’t be there tonight to celebrate Mr Koga’s life. He had a profound affect on my family and I will never forget him and his quiet way of being.
My deepest sympathies.
Sorry to hear about your loss.It was fun renewing our friendship while Mr. Koga was in Cottonwoods.Seeing Bob and Gary again and not at the hockey arena, made visiting my aging mom alot easier. A couple of great guys who I know will look after their mom. Good luck in your families’ futures. Smitty
To Carol and family
May all your warm memories ease the sorrow you feel. We all remember the years of bowling together at our Valley Lanes.Sincere condolences.
Dear Koga family – Sending you a warm embrace of love during this sad time. We all loved Uncle Morio so much and have such wonderful memories of his fun-loving spirit, genuine kindness, and huge heart for family. He will be dearly missed by all of us. We wish we all could have come to be with you as you honour him at the service. Lots of love to you all. Mike & Charlotte, Brent, Holly & Jason
Mrs Koga & Family,
So sorry to hear about the passing of Mr.Koga. He leaves behind many precious memories for all of us to cherrish. My thought and prayers are with you at this difficult time.
To the Koga family
So sorry to hear of Mr. Koga’s passing. He was a great man and coach who always gave his advice with meaning. Sorry I wasn’t able to be there but my thoughts are with you all. Wayne Klassen
Our sincere condolences for your loss. Mr. Koga’s genuineness and quiet zest for life struck all who were blessed to meet him. Best regards and comfort to his family.
I have just heard of the passing of Morio. My condolences to Carol and family. I remember spending many years in the bowling alley cheering on the Kelowna continent. Glory (daughter of Mary and Cec Favell)
Carol and the entire Koga families,
Our thoughts are with you at this sad time of Morio’s passing. Our sincere condolences for your loss.
Best regards Ken & Gloria Hokazono.
carol,janice and families – we were so saddened to hear of morio’s passing. i remember him coming through my checkout,he was quiet but always very friendly! our love and prayers are with you. rosanne and todd ryder