https://www.shigochi.com/home daily 1.0 2026-07-21 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e1dfcfa8babea238b172972/dc23d8f7-f3ea-403b-bab5-7ca22e679154/1946-01-29+shig+with+masao%2C+unknown+and+katsuhiko+ibuchi+at+miyajima.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e1dfcfa8babea238b172972/1579130235025-O87NSWT1O8BTU2CKO5ZR/dad-visits-childhood-home-in-boyle-heights-date-unknown.jpg Home - Shig visits his childhood home in East LA, date unknown. Poverty and Discrimination Shig was only five when the Stock Market Crash of 1929 marked the beginning of the Great Depression which would last a decade. He was raised in East Los Angeles, a community which had long been full of crime and poverty. When Shig was only months away from graduating high school, our country was drawn into World War II. He and his family were ordered by the federal government out of their home to Manzanar concentration camp in the harsh California desert simply because they were of Japanese ancestry; they were forced to abandon anything they could not carry. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e1dfcfa8babea238b172972/1579129832553-ONJGFMVDCKLHPVGII180/image-asset.jpeg Home Outstanding Student Shig loved learning and recognized the immense power of education to transform lives. He graduated at the top of his class from Macalester College in St. Paul, MN. This distinction along with a perfect score in Math on the Graduate Record Exam helped him earn a scholarship to MIT for graduate school. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e1dfcfa8babea238b172972/1579129667980-5BV7TX9G6SC9N7G5Y2L4/Ochi%2Bfamily%2Bin%2BNew%2BBrighton%2BMN%2Bc%2B1968.jpg Home - From left: Virginia, Bob, Steve, Jim, Wendy and Shig c. 1968. Family Man He met and married Virginia Inouye and raised a family of four children in New Brighton, MN. Shig along with a few other engineers broke away from UNIVAC, one of the first computer companies, to form Comten, a communications computer company. This startup went public in 1968 on the New York Stock Exchange. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e1dfcfa8babea238b172972/881b6f92-86cb-4ca8-969b-6e836f7016c1/DSCF4101_Radiant.jpg Home - From left: Bob is a retired neuroradiologist, Wendy is an educator, Steve is a family physician and Jim is a retired pediatric head and neck surgeon, September 2025. Family First Shig had high expectations for his children and showed them what can be accomplished through hard work. He and Virginia lived far below their means and paid for all of the educational expenses of their kids. All four graduated from college; one became a teacher and three became medical doctors, amounting to over 28 years of paying for tuition, room and board. He was extremely proud of the accomplishments of his children and grandchildren, despite having difficulty expressing this sentiment most of the time. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e1dfcfa8babea238b172972/1579038369985-ZW9794SCPPGS91B9BYGA/Shig+and+May+at+Freedom+Village+June+2019.jpg Home - Shig and May, June 2019. After Virginia died, he met and married May Ajifu. They both loved experiencing different cultures as they traveled the world. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e1dfcfa8babea238b172972/c73d959d-604e-4f5a-b856-4351bed5376b/Screenshot+2024-06-11+at+1.54.52%E2%80%AFPM.jpg Home - Honored by Congress U.S. Congressman Kevin Kiley was one of the guests at Shig’s 100th birthday celebration. He was impressed by Shig’s many accomplishments which led the Congressman to honor him on the floor of Congress. Shig rose above the poverty and discrimination of his youth through sheer determination and persistence and went on to enable future generations of his family to pursue their passions. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e1dfcfa8babea238b172972/5afb61ed-19c1-4091-a891-5fef72890c7c/DSCF6696_Radiant-2.jpg Home - Shig meets Sophie, his newest great-grandchild, for the first time. Shig and Sophie were both born on February 26th, exactly 102 years apart! Photo taken March 22, 2026. Shig felt abundantly blessed by God for all of the opportunities given to him throughout his long and productive life; he was a lifelong Christian and steadfast in his faith until he died on July 21, 2026 at the age of 102 years in Granite Bay, CA. Shig’s memorial will be at 11:00 am on Saturday, September 12th at St. Andrew’s By the Sea, 2001 Calle Frontera, San Clemente, CA 92673. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to the Salvation Army, an organization that Shig admired and respected throughout his life. https://www.shigochi.com/celebration-of-life daily 0.75 2020-01-14 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c5a514d65019f01a2cb2be5/1562692754506-G9AACCFRY5JLYWGL77L5/20140301_Trade-151_0124-copy.jpg Celebration of Life - Celebration of Life. email@example.com (555) 555-5555 123 Demo Street New York, NY 12345