David Tameno Dies; Kitsap Co. Deputy Known For Inner Strength

David Tameno, a 17-year veteran of the Kitsap County Sheriff's Office, is remembered for his inner strength and loyalty, notably under pressure.

He held to a moral code drawn from the Bible, which he read daily, and had no room "for gray areas," said his wife of 29 years, Kazuyo Tameno of Poulsbo.

He also let racial slurs from the public and other officers "roll off his back," said his former patrol partner, Sgt. Daniel Curtin.

"I had worked with him since 1979," Curtin said, "and one of his strongest professional qualities was his ability to handle racism and not let it affect him. It was kind of humorous because I'm more of an alien than he was. I'm first-generation Irish American, but Dave was third-generation Japanese American.

"He had a lot of self-control, a lot of discipline. When we worked the north end, we kept stumbling into bad situations. You can count the people you can trust on one hand and not use all your fingers. But he was definitely one of those, so I feel like I've lost one of my fingers."

Mr. Tameno died of skin cancer Thursday (Feb. 19). He was 53.

"My husband was very uplifting, always caring about lifting up other people," said his wife. "But he could be stubborn when he thought he was right. It was important to have right and wrong."

Born in Havre, Mont., in 1944 after his parents were interned in a wartime camp but released to do farm work, he lived in Idaho, California and Oregon before moving to Seattle in 1962 when his father bought a gas station.

He worked as a parts expediter at Boeing, then enlisted in the Marine Corps and served in Vietnam.

Upon returning to the Northwest he studied at Olympic Community College, then at Western Washington University. But he left a few credits shy of graduating.

He worked at Kmart, then joined the Kitsap County Sheriff's Office to become a patrol deputy. He retired in 1994 for health reasons.

One of his pleasures was keeping fit: He ran and played racquetball. He also enjoyed traveling, particularly to Japan where his wife has relatives. Recently they adopted as their son one of her adult nephews, Masayuki Tameno.

"My husband was just a very loyal person, and believed in God's principles," said his wife.

Other survivors include his mother, Alice Tameno, of Seattle; and his brothers Stanton, Gary and Donald Tameno, also of Seattle; Michael Tameno, Federal Way; and Ronald Okuba, Beaverton, Ore.

Services were held today at Green Funeral Home, 1215 140th Ave. S.E., Bellevue.

Remembrances may go to Hospice of Seattle, 425 Pontius Ave. N., Suite 300, Seattle, WA 98109; or to Virginia Mason Medical Center Foundation, Dept. 24, P.O. Box C34935, Seattle, WA 98104.

Carole Beers' phone message number is 206-464-2391. Her e-mail address is: cbee-new@seatimes.com