Longtime Bainbridge Island resident Suyeo “Sue” Noritake, age 79, died March 31.

He was born on Sept. 23, 1923 in Seattle and graduated from Cleveland High School in 1942.

The internment of Japanese Americans in WWII took him to Idaho. Through work programs, he went on to Chicago, Detroit, St. Louis and Miami.

After the war, he married and moved to Bainbridge and worked at Fort Ward, Bangor and the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard for 32 years.

He volunteered at the Port Blakely Cemetery for more than 40 years, and in 1984 became a trustee. The Kiwanis Club honored him as Citizen of the Year in 1998 for his tireless work in the community.

He enjoyed bowling, fishing, working on his outdoor projects, and helping friends.

He is survived by wife Michiko of Bainbridge Island; daughter Wendy Noritake of Seattle; son Gregory Noritake of Scandia; granddaughter April Yamamoto Saxon of Auburn; step-granddaughter Jamie Noritake; great-granddaughter Mariah Saxon; and sisters Patricia Uno of Seattle and Yasuko Tsuboi of Des Moines.

Memorial services were held April 6. Memorials can be made to the Nikkei Exclusion Memorial, P.O. Box 10355, Bainbridge Island, WA 98110.

Arrangements were under the direction of Kass Funeral Home.