Perry Jitsuo Fujinaka

Perry Jitsuo Fujinaka reached the end of his long and fulfilling life on Earth on Saturday, July 2, 2022 after 96 full years. Born Jistuo Fujinaka in April 1926 on the island of Maui in the territory of Hawai’i to Japanese immigrants Tsugiji and Soyoko Fujinaka, Perry spent his youth in Hawai’i before joining the Army at the age of 19, just prior to the end of World War II. After a brief stop in Manila, he served the duration of his tenure at the Atsugi & Yokota air bases in Japan as a truck driver. Perry received his honorable discharge in 1947, completing his Army career as a corporal. Utilizing the GI Bill, Perry relocated to Milwaukee, WI to take classes in electrical engineering at the Milwaukee School of Engineering. It was there, in Milwaukee, at a YMCA dance that he met his wife, Rita (nee Klima), changed his name, and pursued a career at General Electric. The two of them raised their 10 children in a little yellow house in Milwaukee, and participated in the lives of their grandchildren, before moving to Muskego, WI. Perry and Rita were married in June of 1952 and would have celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary this year. Perry loved building and tinkering. He spent his decades-long career working for GE X-ray, now GE Healthcare, as a tester. After raising their children and retiring, Perry continued to tinker, and was an early adopter for many new and emerging technologies over the years. While his parents were still alive, Perry and Rita enjoyed traveling to Hawaii on many occasions, always returning with a suitcase full of bags of oriental rice crackers and boxes of chocolate covered macadamia nuts, and attempted to ration them as long as possible until their next trip. Perry had a sweet tooth, which developed as a child living on a sugar cane plantation where his father worked. As a child, he and his older sister, Hanae, would often collect avocados from the neighbors tree that fell over the fence into their yard and enjoying them sliced and sprinkled with raw sugar. Visiting his house in the last years of his life, you could always find a box of cookies or donuts on the kitchen table. In addition to sweet treats, Perry loved all Wisconsin sports, including the Packers, Badgers, and Bucks—but his favorite team to watch was the Milwaukee Brewers. He attended many games and instilled the love of the game and the team to his children and grandchildren. In his final years, Perry’s focus was on caring for his wife, who suffered from short-term memory loss, and ensuring her safety and comfort. He maintained their Muskego home for them to live out their days independently. He spent many hours of the day on his riding mower, maintaining his lawn, or shoveling the driveway in the winter. He is survived by his 10 children: Mike (Wendy) Fujinaka, Steve Fujinaka, Pat (Debbie) Fujinaka, Tim (Janet) Fujinaka, Bill (Michele) Fujinaka, Julie (Mark) Kowalski, Tom Fujinaka, John Fujinaka, Lori (Steve) McCowen, and Joe (Cathy) Fujinaka. He is further survived by his grandchildren Nikki (Shawn) Hendricks, Matt (Christine) Fujinaka, Chris (Jackie) Fujinaka, Thayer (Sari) El-Dajjani, Mandy Bright, Seth Fujinaka, Chelsea Fujinaka, Joe Fujinaka, Shannon Fujinaka, Jody (Nathan Gerics) Fujinaka, Nick (Rebekah) Fujinaka, Adam Kowalski, Cody Ramsey, Justin Ramsey, Andrew Fujinaka, Crystal Coyhis, Nicole Hoffmeyer, Jessie (Ava) Fujinaka, Josh Fujinaka, Amy (Brett) Borchart, Christie (Brandon) McCowen, Tyler Fujinaka, Jamie (Jake) Fujinaka, and Jordan Fujinaka; and was a loving great-grandfather to Hailey, Madeline, Cameron, Mikey, Macey, Merrick, Mylie, Faith, Ty, Laith, Nabila, Nikki, Daisy, Daniel, Valerie, Kaitlyn, Ayden, Evan, Brayden, Genevieve, Fiona, Nora, Clara, Bailee, and Bain; as well as great-great grandfather to Mathias. Beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle and friend, Perry was dedicated to his family, and his loved ones are comforted knowing he is now at peace, reunited with his wife and parents who preceded him in death. Memorial Visitation Saturday, September 24, 2022 at ST. LEONARD CHURCH (W173S7743 Westwood Dr., Muskego) from 9:30 – 10:45 AM followed by Memorial Mass of Christian Burial at 11:00 AM. Inurnment St. Joseph Cemetery Waukesha, WI. Reception will follow. Rozga Funeral & Cremation Services Rozga-Walloch Chapel 414-281-7145