Henry Maekawa
Obituary
Henry Maekawa, 85, of East Wenatchee, WA, passed away on May 22, 2025.
Born in Kailua, Hawaii, Henry grew up on a vegetable farm. During World War II, his Japanese American family was forcibly relocated by the military, a disruption that significantly impacted their lives and livelihood. Henry became the first in his family to graduate from college after attending Colorado State University—where he met his wife Marion—and later earned a master’s degree from the University of Oregon.
Henry had a long and distinguished career at the U.S. Forest Service as a landscape architect, first at the Deschutes National Forest and then with the Wenatchee National Forest. A pioneer in visual resource management, Henry designed scenic areas, campgrounds, and monuments. Among his proudest accomplishments were projects such as Fields Point in Chelan, Twenty-Five Mile Creek State Park, and the North Cascades Scenic Byway, now a National Park.
He doted on his children and grandchildren and always took time off work to attend their school events and sports games, even out of town matches. He established Kenroy Elementary's parent-teacher association and was very involved in school activities including helping to build a playground. Despite not knowing anything about the sport at the time, he was part of a community effort to bring soccer to the Wenatchee Valley in the 1970s which started by checking out library books to learn the basics. He started coaching his young daughter’s team and refereeing both youth and adult games, and even became a U. S. Soccer Federation certified referee. He coached travel soccer for his son’s team, playing games all over Washington, Idaho, and Oregon and developed meaningful and longtime relationships with his former players.
Outside of work, Henry was an avid gardener and took great pride in his backyard and koi pond. He loved Hawaiian music, and neighbors could often hear him playing on his ukulele or guitar.
Henry is survived by his spouse of 60 years, Marion Maekawa; daughter Corinne and her husband Richard of Oak Park, IL; son Kurt and his wife Jonelyn of Chicago, IL; and four grandchildren.
Friends can honor Henry's life by donating blood; also donations in his name can be made to the Confluence Health Foundation (Hospice or Cancer Care) or the Center for Interstitial Lung Diseases Fund at UW Medicine.
Memory wall
It saddens me very much to learn of his recent passing especially when l am traveling through Oregon and parts of Washington in May and June. My sincere condolences and sympathies to Marion and his beloved family!
I had the privilege of working with him from time to time during my years on the Cle Elum Ranger District in the 1980s and early 1990s. As a forest landscape architect, Henry guided many of our projects with his expertise and thoughtful approach. Later, as life took me to Montana and then back to Wenatchee, I still had the joy of working alongside him at yard work parties for Cancer Care of NCW – Our House. No matter the setting, being around Henry simply felt good—his presence made every moment a little brighter.
His kindness, dedication, and joyful spirit will be deeply missed but fondly remembered.
My favorite memory of Henry was on the Oregon Coast not that long ago. We had sweeping views of the ocean from the house … and walked for hours along the beach … in silence and in gentle conversation. And I knew that he was remembering many cherished times with his family, when his kids were growing up. It was clear that Henry was in his “happy place” … with both family and nature close at hand. On our last morning … I woke to find Henry (and Kurt) indulging in Zippy’s Chili for BREAKFAST … he had that mischievous twinkle in his eye … that I loved so much. He will be deeply missed …
--Sharon
I enjoyed attending Applesox games with Henry and Paul; and occasionally Kevin would come along when he was visiting. Henry's kindness was sincere and his laugh always put a smile on my face. May he Rest in Peace.
Family tree
Donate
1. First, we encourage friends and family to donate blood, as he received frequent transfusions during the last years of his life.
2. The Cancer Care and Hospice units at Confluence Healthcare in Wenatchee took great care of him, so donations can be made to their units at Confluence Health Foundation:https://confluencehealthfoundation.org/our-impact/donate-online/
3. Henry had pulmonary fibrosis for many years, and Dr. Raghu at UW Medicine in Seattle was instrumental in supporting both his physical and mental well-being; donations can be made to the Center for Interstitial Lung Diseases Fund at https://give.uwmedicine.org/create-hope
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