Tom Morimoto was a 97 year old WWII veteran, a Fort McMurray resident, and a beloved friend and family member. Morimoto passed away on Monday, December 14, 2015 at 4:30 a.m. Before his death Tom was living in a Kelowna hospice, and friends and family suspected that he did not have a lot of years left/ When Ariel Morimoto paid a visit to her grandfather in the hospice on Sunday evening, the day before he died, she comforted him. When Ariel went to leave Tom told her “Don’t let me be alone tonight.” In an act of love Ariel stayed through the night, holding her grandfather’s hand all night long, and at 4:30 a.m. he gave a final breath and then peacefully passed away.
While Tom Morimoto was not born in Fort McMurray he moved there when his father relocated the barber shop due to high rent prices in Edmonton. Ariel described her grandfathers passing and said “It was very peaceful. He wasn’t in pain and he knew he was going and he had accepted it. Even in death, he controlled what he wanted to do and how he wanted it to happen.” Morimoto’s granddaughter also talked about his service in WWII and stated “The fighting was something he didn’t talk much about. When he took us to Juno Beach a few years ago, it was the first time many of us actually saw him cry. He was always very grateful, but none of his accomplishments ever went to his head. I don’t think he thought he deserved it. He was always surprised and delighted, but always humble.”