Tuesday, June 10, 2014

Takeshi (Gish) Endo





Takeshi “Gish” Endo passed away on May 23, 2014 at the age of 97 years young.  About 400 family members, floral workers and friends attended the services at the Oakland Buddhist Church on June 7, 2014.  Many of the Kitayama Family members attended the service as we always considered Gish and his wife Takako family. 


In 1956, Gish opened Gish Endo Wholesale Florist at the San Francisco Flower Market.  He worked until the last “Market Day” before Christmas in 2010.  There were no chairs at Gish’s Wholesale House because in the 54 years, he never sat down.  On the last market day he worked, Gish sat on a bucket and said that he was tired and he never said that before.  Gish was 92 when he retired.  


Gish always said, “If you don’t have quality, you don’t have nothing.”




~ Dave Kitayama

3 comments:

  1. Great Memories and Great Picture of "gish'... Thanks for sharing... and remembering... That's what Life is all about... our Flower Friends and Family!

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  2. Thank you for the loving tribute to my "pops"! I remember going to the market with him as a little girl and sleeping in shipping boxes.

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  3. Nice tribute. Never met Gish, but wish I had. I liked his comment about quality and the chairless habit, now embodied by executives who also work standing up, at a podium instead of at a desk. John Niblock.

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