Pharmacist Ben Tsutsumoto, 75
But before he could take the prize home to savor, Mr. Tsutsumoto died suddenly, apparently of a heart problem, not long after that photograph was taken. He was 75.
Mr. Tsutsumoto leaves behind numerous loved ones, close friends and acquaintances. He got to know thousands of people by spending more than 30 years running State Drug, a neighborhood pharmacy in South Seattle at Rainier Avenue and King Street.
Those who knew him well say he dispensed medications with genuine concern for customers he got to know.
"Ben was a unique person," said Frank Fujii, a friend since high school. "He was smart, and a great pharmacist. He was caring and kind. Some people just dispense the pills, and that's it. He had a special gift of being able to connect with people."
Mr. Tsutsumoto worked 12-hour days and often came home late for dinner because he was making deliveries to customers, said his daughter Jan Gokami.
Gokami said her father showed his neighborhood dedication in numerous ways. She remembered that when it snowed he would keep the store open late so people could get supplies. If neighbors were waiting at a bus stop for a bus that didn't show up, he'd drive them home. The store was closed Sundays, but if a customer needed something, he'd deliver. "My dad taught my brothers and sisters about service to people," Gokami said.
Mr. Tsutsumoto was born in Seattle and spent his entire life there, except for the four years he was interned during World War II.
His father was one of the first Japanese-American pharmacists in Washington. He established two pharmacies in the Chinatown International District, but he had to sell them for only $300 during the war. He, too, was interned, and started over after he was released.
As a 12-year-old, Mr. Tsutsumoto helped keep the business afloat for a time before he, too, was interned. After the war, he decided to follow his father's path and got a degree in pharmacy at the University of Washington.
Mr. Tsutsumoto met his future wife, Sally, when they were in pharmacy school together. They settled down in Seattle to run State Drugs after he returned from service in the U.S. Army in France in the 1950s.
As the pharmacy business changed over the years with managed care and chain outlets, Mr. Tsutsumoto held out. Eventually, he sold his shop to Rite Aid in the mid-1990s, but he went to work there part-time so he could continue to visit his customers, said Art Yorozu, his brother-in-law.
Mr. Tsutsumoto had a variety of interests. He held a black belt in judo. He loved the outdoors, particularly fishing, clam digging and mushroom hunting. He played golf. Every fall he watched his Washington Huskies play football. He closely followed public affairs, and he was eager to vote for a new president this fall, Gokami said.
He had a lighthearted sense of humor — when someone cooked a special family meal, his daughter said, he would joke afterward, "Where's the main course?"
A memorial service has not yet been scheduled but is being planned for Sept. 24 or 25. Besides his wife, Mr. Tsutsumoto is survived by his four children, Gokami, Guy Tsutsumoto, Thomas Tsutsumoto and Tracy Tsutsumoto; and three grandchildren.
Luke Timmerman: 206-515-5644 or ltimmerman@seattletimes.com