Mukilteo pioneer ‘Mas’ Odoi dies at 92

MUKILTEO — Masaru “Mas” Odoi, a World War II veteran and Mukilteo pioneer, died in July at 92.

Odoi, who was Japanese- American, was born in Mukilteo in 1921. He volunteered to fight for the U.S. forces while he, his parents and his siblings were held in an internment camp after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. He served in combat in Europe and earned a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star.

For the first years of his life, Odoi lived in Japanese Gulch, at a time when Japanese sawmill workers were learning how to fit into the larger Mukilteo community.

Later, he became an active member of the Mukilteo Historical Society. He helped push for the city’s monument on Fifth Street to the Japanese men andwomen who once resided in the village at Japanese Gulch. The sculpture, a bronze origami-style crane, represents peace.

In 2008, Odoi was named Mukilteo’s Pioneer of the Year, said longtime historical society volunteer Ann Collier.

“What we all appreciated about him so much was his enthusiasm about Mukilteo,” she said last week. “He just had so many ideas of ways of making Mukilteo better and of recognizing Mukilteo as an outstanding town that he had grown up in.”

Throughout the years, Odoi drove to Mukilteo for historical society events and meetings, even in bad weather, said Tude Richter, another volunteer who grew up in town.

Odoi loved to talk about his childhood, she said.

“He was a dear, dear man. I just loved him,” she said. “And he loved Mukilteo with all his heart.”

Odoi’s life story was chronicled in a two-part series in The Herald in 2006 called “A Place of Happiness and Peace.” The first part shared his memories of growing up in the gulch. The second part detailed his military service, and the road he followed back to his childhood home.

Odoi was buried with full military honors at Tahoma National Cemetery in Kent.

He worked hard throughout his life, said his son, Gary Odoi. When he had time off, he’d take his wife, Frances, and the children traveling and camping.

As Mas Odoi got older, it was important to him to stay independent, and to care for himself and his wife, Gary Odoi said. His father’s best quality was that he stayed calm in chaos.

It’s a skill his son still tries to emulate.

In the war, when a mortar blast cut open Mas Odoi’s neck, he pressed his thumb against the bleeding, as he’d been trained. He passed out.

When he woke up, and he was still alive, he figured he’d better trudge back to base for medical treatment, Gary Odoi said.

“He had this amazing capacity to stay unflappable and keep his wits about him whenever he was in a life-threatening situation,” he said. “That’s something I’ve always admired him for.”

Mas Odoi’s favorite poem was “If” by Rudyard Kipling, which talks about a son becoming a man. The poem begins, “If you can keep your head when all about you/Are losing theirs and blaming it on you …”

Odoi wrote poetry, too, with a special love for haiku, said his niece, Nori Odoi.

Her favorite of his was a passage about life being brief, but the journey being long, she said.

It went: “After a thousand mile/Journey of the soul/A brief white cap frolics.”

Odoi was deeply religious, and his favorite part of the Bible was the Sermon on the Mount, especially the Beatitudes, his son said. His father also gave presentations at schools about the war, to teach children about the past.

From his own childhood, Odoi fondly remembered the Japanese women in Mukilteo trying to learn English, and making American-style food, Gary Odoi said. His father always said he was grateful to others in Mukilteo who were kind to the Japanese in those days.

The historical society plans to post another of Odoi’s haiku near the graves of Japanese sawmill workers buried at Pioneer Cemetery in town, Collier said.

The poem goes: “Thanks to kind strangers/Who sanctify the grave of/A long lost brother.”

Rikki King: 425-339-3449; rking@heraldnet.com.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Customers enter and exit the Costco on Dec. 2, 2022, in Lake Stevens. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Costco stores could be impacted by looming truck driver strike threat

Truck drivers who deliver groceries and produce to Costco warehouses… Continue reading

Two Washington State ferries pass along the route between Mukilteo and Clinton as scuba divers swim near the shore Sunday, Oct. 22, 2023, in Mukilteo, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Ferry system increases ridership by a half million in 2024

Edmonds-Kingston route remains second-busiest route in the system.

The second floor of the Lynnwood Crisis Center on Friday, Feb. 7, 2025 in Lynnwood, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Funding gap leaves Lynnwood without a crisis center provider

The idea for the Lynnwood crisis center began in 2021 after a 47-year-old died by suicide while in custody at Lynnwood Municipal Jail.

Three seriously injured after head-on collision on Highway 522

The crash between Monroe and Maltby happened around 4:30 p.m. on Monday.

Fernando Espinoza salts the sidewalk along Fifth Avenue South on Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025 in Edmonds, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Think this is cold, Snohomish County? Wait until Tuesday

Tuesday could bring dangerous wind chill during the day and an overnight low of 19 degrees

Robin Cain with 50 of her marathon medals hanging on a display board she made with her father on Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025 in Lake Stevens, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Running a marathon is hard. She ran one in every state.

Robin Cain, of Lake Stevens, is one of only a few thousand people to ever achieve the feat.

People line up to grab food at the Everett Recovery Cafe on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Coffee, meals and compassion are free at the Everett Recovery Cafe

The free, membership-based day center offers free coffee and meals and more importantly, camaraderie and recovery support.

Devani Padron, left, Daisy Ramos perform during dance class at Mari's Place Monday afternoon in Everett on July 13, 2016. (Kevin Clark / The Herald)
Mari’s Place helps children build confidence and design a better future

The Everett-based nonprofit offers free and low-cost classes in art, music, theater and dance for children ages 5 to 14.

The Everett Wastewater Treatment Plant along the Snohomish River on Thursday, June 16, 2022 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Everett water, sewer rates could jump 43% by 2028

The rate hikes would pay for improvements to the city’s sewer infrastructure.

The bond funded new track and field at Northshore Middle School on Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024 in Bothell, Washington. (Courtesy of Northshore School District)
Northshore School District bond improvements underway

The $425 million bond is funding new track and field complexes, playgrounds and phase one of two school replacements.

The Washington State Department of Licensing office is seen in 2018 in Seattle. (Sue Misao / The Herald)
Drivers licensing offices to close Feb. 14-17

Online services are also not available Feb. 10-17. The Washington State Department of Licensing said the move is necessary to upgrade software.

Pharmacist Nisha Mathew prepares a Pfizer COVID booster shot for a patient at Bartell Drugs on Broadway on Saturday, Oct. 1, 2022, in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Everett lawmakers back universal health care bill, introduced in Olympia

Proponents say providing health care for all is a “fundamental human right.” Opponents worry about the cost of implementing it.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.