Ted Kazuta Nakayoshi

Ted Nakayoshi was a 49-year-old father of four. He is survived by four children, a grandson, and his mother and older sister.

He was born in San Dimas, California, on August 18th, 1975. His childhood was spent in Glendora with his older sister, and he graduated from Charter Oaks High School in 1993. After high school, he went on to college, and attended the Embry Riddle Aerospace Engineering University in Prescott, Arizona. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering, and a minor in computer engineering. He worked for USA Alliance after graduating from college, where he did contract work for NASA from 1997 to 1999, until he moved to Phoenix. There, he worked for L3 and Honeywell until 2008, when he and his family moved to Oregon. From 2008 onwards he lived in the Salem-Keizer area and worked for Rockwell Collins, currently known as Collins Aerospace, until May of 2025.

Outside of work, he lived a very rich life. Ted had a passion for many things: video games, anime, reading, gardening, and the culinary arts—especially his cheesecakes, which all of his friends and family loved, particularly during the holiday season. He was a loving father, and a supportive and generous friend, and always enjoyed making people smile whenever he could.

Ted passed away surrounded by family and loved ones on July 12th, 2025, due to a rare and aggressive autoimmune disease known as Castlemans. A private celebration of life will be held on August 16th, where those who knew and loved him will celebrate what should have been his 50th birthday.