James Ichiro Furiya

James Ichiro Furiya, 91, of Versailles passed away Sunday, June 29, 2014 at the Tri Health Hospice in Hamilton, Ohio. He was born in Sacramento, California on June 19, 1923 the son of Jinnosuku and Ume Masia Furiya. He was married to Teruko Tabata and she survives. Other survivors include two sons Keven Furiya of Seattle, Washington and Alvin Furiya of Noblesville; one daughter Linda Furiya of Shelburne, Vermont, and also two grandsons. Following the death of his mother at age four, James was sent to Japan to be raised by his grandmother in the shadow of Mt. Fuji. During the aftermath of the 1930 depression, James was adopted and raised in Manchuria. At age 19 he was drafted into the army and was captured during the Soviet invasion of Manchuria in 1945 and was held as a Prisoner of War for three years in Russia. Returning to Japan after the war, he waited ten years to regain his American citizenship, during which time he trained as a chicken sexer. It was this profession that brought him to the Midwest and during the 1950s he traveled to chicken hatcheries and farms throughout Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Michigan. He resided briefly in Osgood, but Mr. Furiya was a 50 year resident of Versailles where he pursued his passion for food, wine making, and gardening. Mr. & Mrs. Furiya attended the Tyson United Methodist Church. Services will be held at the convenience of the family. The Stratton-Karsteter Funeral Home, Versailles is in charge of arrangements.