“It’s been a time for tears and hugs at the Town and Country Market on Winslow Way.Tuesday night, word first reached Bainbridge that Don Nakata, 66, president of the island-based six-store corporation, had died of an apparent stroke in Lafayette, La., while on vacation with his wife Ellen. By Thursday, not only the employees but most of the city had heard.Not just our employees but our customers found that it’s okay to walk through the T&C and have tears in your eyes, said Town and Country store director Lyla Derosier.He was a gift to all of us, said Wayne Loverich, part owner and director of the corporation.He was a visionary leader, a very loving, caring and generous man.Nakata was born July 11, 1934 on Bainbridge Island. He attended Bainbridge High School, where he was a three-sport letterman. He graduated from Seattle University in 1957, and after a tour of duty in the Army, returned home to the island and spent his adult life working in the family business.He married Ellen, a Hawaii native, in 1962.Larry Nakata, Don Nakta’s cousin and corporate vice president, said the enterprise today is a reflection of his cousin’s vision.A majority of what you see today has been Don’s inspiration and creation. No question that the others looked to him, Larry Nakata said. His ability to make everyone feel special was unique. He was able to touch them in a profound way.He was our spiritual leader, Nakata added. I got an e-mail this morning from someone at Associated Grocers – a co-op we belong to – saying he was their spiritual leader as well.A community memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 14, at Woodward Middle School.Integral to the island communityFew business establishments are woven as closely into the fabric of their community as T&C and Bainbridge Island.Don Nakata’s grandfather Jitsuzo Nakata came to Bainbridge Island in the 1890s and built a barber shop and home on Winslow Way, east of the ravine, which at that time divided downtown Winslow into two parts. His oldest son John, Don’s father, became a butcher. In 1940, John Nakata removed the family home and shop and built a grocery store called the Eagle Harbor Market.Then came the war and the internment of the island’s Japanese-Americans. On March 30, 1942, when Don was 7 years old, the John Nakata family was sent to the Manzanar camp in California. During the internment, John sold his store.The family returned to Bainbridge, and John repurchased the grocery store in 1952. Meanwhile, John’s brother Mo – Larry’s father – had returned to Bainbridge after being wounded while fighting in Europe. Mo Nakata opened a grocery store with partner and long-time friend Ed Loverich on land leased from the Harui family, where Bainbridge Gardens is now located.Then in 1957, the enterprises merged, as John and Mo Nakata and Ed Loverich opened T&C at its present site.After his discharge from the Army, Don Nakata went to work as T&C’s assistant manager, and began instilling a spirit of openness, trust and loyalty that characterizes the business today.He was the one of the nicest people you could ever think of, said Ned Crumle, T&C’s dairy manager, who started at the store within a few months of its opening – the only company employee with more seniority than Don Nakata.He always took time to stop and talk. You’d notice those things and admire them.To the Bainbridge store’s 130 employees, Nakata was more than a boss. They were part of the same family. He had a personal connection to everyone, said 21-year market employee Susan Calhoun. He gave himself away. He remembered you, your children, and what was going on in your life.Rich Petersen, a 7-year employee, said that in uncertain situations, he asks himself What would Don do?He made people feel welcome, and took them in as part of the family, Petersen said.The ambitious expansion program that Don oversaw was animated by the same family spirit, Wayne Loverich said.Don wanted to grow the business to give the people that work with us a chance to grow, he said. It wasn’t motivated by money.The company moved into Poulsbo in 1974 with what is now the Poulsbo Market Thriftway. Then in 1985, the company established itself in the Seattle area with a Ballard market. Today, there are six stores altogether – one each in Ballard, Shoreline and Greenwood, two in Poulsbo and the home store in Winslow.A leader known for nurturingThe key to the company’s success has been Don Nakata’s support for and nurturance of his employees. He put that philosophy into practice by hiring island therapist and educator John Wood as T&C Director of Learning and Leadership.Under Wood’s direction, the company instituted TCU – the Town & Country University – which offers employees classes in leadership, business and communication skills on company-paid time.He believed in growing people, and if that meant growing them away from the company, that was okay with him, Wood said.Although they preferred to avoid the limelight, Don and Ellen Nakata’s influence was deeply felt in the community at large. He had an intensity of commitment to the community that made him almost unique, Bainbridge Island Mayor Dwight Sutton said. He is one of the models for our community. What he did he kept to himself, said long-time friend Junkoh Harui of Bainbridge Gardens. His family is the epitome of being honest. He was an outstanding person in the community.One aspect of their community involvement that the Nakatas couldn’t keep quiet was their support for the Susan G. Komen Cancer Foundation and its Race for the Cure fund-raising event. At this year’s event on Sept. 17 at Safeco Field, T&C’s 634-member team was the largest entered, which earned Don and Ellen a special recognition from the Komen Foundation.What friends remembered about Don Nakata was his optimism and sense of fun.He was what I call a blue moon guy – the kind who doesn’t come around too often, said life-long friend Ed Selfors.He was a great sports fan – Mariners, Seahawks and Huskies, Selfors said. One of the neatest times I’ve ever had was when Don invited our old coach Ed Paski and some of the team over to Safeco for a Mariners game in their box.Larry Nakata said that Don’s health took a turn for the worse on a trip to Europe this spring. He had bypass surgery, and expected a full recovery. Being that close to death really changed Don, Larry said. When you get that close to dying, every day means so much more. You say the things you need to say – to tell people close to you how much you love them.The fatal hemmorhage was apparently not related to the heart problems, Larry said.Anyone wishing to make a memorial in Nakata’s name is asked to contribute to the Susan G. Komen Cancer Foundation, P.O. Box 75900, Seattle, 98145, or to the Bainbridge Foundation. Contributions may be brought to Town and Country, and they will be forwarded.Larry Nakata said that in its own way, Don’s death was as graceful and appropriate as his life.If you knew you only had a few days to live, how would you spend it? Larry asked. You’d be with a loved one, and he was. You’d be someplace you’ve never been, seeing the sights and eating great food, which he was.One of Don’s favorite sayings was ‘dance like no one’s watching.’ And he was dancing the night that he died. “