06/11/2026
For those who do not know, John Tokeshi passed away on Sunday, May 31st. (Today, June 11th, would have been his birthday.) He had been in the hospital since April 14th, from complications associated with his Stage 4 cancer.
John was a retired middle school teacher and award winning girls basketball coach for 30 years at Charles Evans Hughes Middle School in the Long Beach Unified School District. When he retired, the school named the gym after him. LinkedIn said his education was at University of Southern California, Cal State University at Northridge, and Cal State University at Long Beach. He was a kind and deeply faithful man with a lovely smile and warm sense of humor. He and Gayle were Zoom members of Christ Church Sei Ko Kai in San Francisco.
He is survived by his wife Gayle Kawahara, their beloved pug Jujube, and his large extended family. I will be conducting a private funeral (for family only) celebrating John's life later this month. Please keep Gayle and his family in your prayers.
Photo from Long Beach Press-Telegram