The Shinoda family is sad to announce the passing of its patriarch, James T. Shinoda, on Wednesday, September 23, 2009.
Jimmy was born into one of the first large scale rose growing families in California. He spent his early childhood with his four siblings on the family flower nursery. During WWII his family was forced to relocate to an internment camp outside of California. Upon returning to California after the war, he finished high school and served his country as a radar technician in the US army. He graduated from UCLA with a BS in business administration. During his years at UCLA, he met and married Alice Shigeko Yoshino.
Upon his graduation, he became manager of San Lorenzo Nursery Company’s Monrovia nursery. He later transferred to their Torrance nursery and eventually opened and managed San Lorenzo’s floral supply and fresh flower warehouse in Orange County from 1965 until 1985.
Jimmy was one of the most well respected leaders in the floral supply industry and continued working at Shinoda Design Center which was opened by his family in 1986. The San Diego location was opened in 1993. Under Jimmy’s guidance, Shinoda Design Center has become one of the largest, in-stock wholesale floral supply companies in teh US. Jimmy is survived by his children Dawn (John) Schirmer, Deborah Stocker, Mark (Bambi) Shinoda, Doug (Judy) Shinoda, Tom Shinoda, ten grandchildren, three great-grandchildren, and siblings June Oshima, Masuko Takano, Robert Shinoda, Helen Takata.