Melvin “Dutch” KawasoeMelvin “Dutch” Kawasoe passed away on Tuesday, March 29th, 2016 after a heroic fight against congestive heart failure. He was born on November 8, 1925 in North Powder, Oregon to George and Masuko Kawasoe, Japanese immigrants. He grew up in Weiser, Idaho where his father was a chef and later owned a large farming operation. Dutch worked on that farm and ran crews. This is also where he learned many of his cooking skills. He loved fishing, hunting, football, and golf. Dutch attended the University of Idaho, earning a Bachelor’s from the College of Idaho and later his Master’s from the University of Oregon.
Coach Dutch Kawasoe was one of Oregon’s all-time best high school coaches. During his career of more than 34 years in Vale, Oregon and also in and around Portland, Oregon he taught biology, health, math, and coached football as well as golf. Many of his teams were championship caliber. He was inducted into the National Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 1981, the College Football Foundation Hall of Fame in 1988, and the {Portland Interscholastic League (PIL) Hall of Fame in 2010. Dutch touched hundreds of lives with his guidance and mentorship, through football, golf and in the classroom.
Dutch was a man of faith, and a longtime member of St. Matthew’s Church in Portland and North Coast Family Fellowship in Seaside, Oregon.
Dutch is survived by his wife Mary Ann and his three children: Marcia Houston (Jim); Marianne Leipzig (Tim), and John Kawasoe, four grandchildren: Gretchen Sumner (Jamie), Jonathan Leipzig (Whitney), Katy and Carson Kawasoe; four great grandchildren: Lucy and Dutch Sumner, Finley and Maclane Leipzig. He was preceded in death by his father, mother, and two sisters.
Memorial services will be held at 1PM on Saturday, April 9th, 2016 at North Coast Family Fellowship, 2245 N. Wahanna Road, Seaside, OR; and also in Portland at 1:00PM on Sunday, April 10th at St. Matthew’s Anglican Church, 1001 SE 60th Avenue, 97215.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Dutch Kawasoe Scholarship Fund, PO Box 820125, Portland, OR 97282-1125.
Ocean View Funeral & Cremation Services of Astoria is in charge of the arrangements. An online guestbook may be signed at www.OceanViewAstoria.Com.