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| Grandfather in Mortal Combat |
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| Wu in Star Trek |
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| The Fourth Stooge |
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| Andy Griffith Show |
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| M.A.S.H. |
He was the oldest of five children, all boys except for the baby, my mom, Kay. My mom told me that he was a great big brother and taught her how to play hopscotch and jacks.
He was a dutiful oldest son who stayed with my grandmother in the internment camp at Heart Mountain, WY, while the rest of the family, when they were able, left camp to work. He always took care of my grandmother until her death in the early 80's.
He was the best uncle ever!
When I was a little girl he would always entertain with his rendition of Donald Duck. He always mastered several accents so he would constantly switch characters which always got me giggling.
When I was a young teenager, he took me to Solvang just to spend the day with me at home of my favorite places. He made a trip to San Diego then spontaneously down to Tijuana with my sister; Dodger games with my cousin Bob. He was just the best uncle. He was indulgent with us just as a favorite uncle should be :) One Christmas he knew we loved the Beatles so he bought us a dozen of their albums.
When I came back from Ricks and was back in town he took me with him to some fun stuff. Now grown up, when he didn't have a date, I filled in. I went to a party with him at Cindy William's (of Laverne and Shirley fame). She was very nice, I was way to young and dumb to be there, but I have never forgotten it. He also took me to the Los Angeles showing of Abel Gance's Napoleon: produced by Francis Ford Coppola and the score was written and conducted by his father, Carmine Coppola. It was a 1923, three to four hours long, silent film. There were two showings, one in New York and one in Los Angeles. It was quite an event...I slept through some of it but the nap gave me the energy for the after party in the lower section of the Shrine Auditorium where I met Francis Ford Coppola, at the time the most popular producer in the industry, and Fred Roos who produced many things with Coppola over the years, who was actually Uncle Lloyd's friend. That event had quite an impact on me. I told everyone the story...my friend bought me the show poster and my brother in law framed it for me, years later.
Over the years, he did all kinds of things though an actor by profession for over 50 years... he went with my Uncle Bob to visit our cousins in Sao Paulo, Brazil...my grandfather's sister immigrated there while my grandfather immigrated here. He sang with the Orientones before my birth. Played in a ukulele band in camp; loved Hawaii; moved to Oregon and then on to Vegas where he never really retired; he would fly to LA for auditions and did get a part or two in NCIS in Vegas. He always was improving....took Spanish lessons, acting lessons, etc. He was a health fanatic and exercised and ate health food my entire life. I never remember him not eating healthy and I always remember him either not eating with us at a restaurant or bringing his own food. He was awesome! Real discipline.
He always seemed happy though he does wish some things in life had gone differently, but who doesn't. I loved that he was always interested in people; always asking people about their lives. He did this with my boys. He was interested in what they were doing in school, their favorite subjects, what they did for fun, etc.
He was 93 years old. Toward the end he didn't really know me but he was always interested in me and my life. Everyone at the Motion Picture home loved him. He was always smiling and joking.
I am honored that he trusted me to take care of him over these last five years. I will miss him.
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