Dr. Robert M. Takamoto ’58 was born on July 31, 1936, and met his maker on October 18, 2014, after a long illness and under the loving care of his dedicated wife of 51 years, Josephine. He is survived by his son, Michael Takamoto ’86 and grand-daughter Nina; daughter, Michelle McCauley and grandchildren, Shannon, Ryan and Keenan; son, Matthew Takamoto and grand-hildren, Marcus, Nicole and Mason; and daughter, Maria Weaver and grandchildren, Maxwell, Dashiell and Phoebe.
A native of Hawaii, Dr. Takamoto graduated suma cum laude from Santa Clara University. He attended medical school at McGill University in Canada. Upon graduation, Dr. Takamoto served as an officer of the United States Air Force. Beginning in 1974, Dr. Takamoto was stationed at Travis A.F.B. where he served as Chairman of the Department of Surgery, David Grant, U.S.A.F. Medical Center and director of the surgery residency program. He retired in 1981 as a full Colonel. Dr. Takamoto joined Fairfield Medical Group, which later became the Sutter Fairfield Medical group, and oversaw the organization through its rapid growth. He also served on the Board of Directors of the North Bay Medical Center for 18 years. Always concerned with the quality of medical care, Dr. Takamoto voluntarily served as an evaluator of ambulatory practices for a number of accrediting associations. He finally retired from clinical activities in 2011.
Dr. Takamoto was an exceptionally kind and caring person, well-known and appreciated for his warm bedside manner. It was common for former patients to greet and thank him during his everyday outings in the Vacaville/Fairfield area. Dr. Takamoto was a gifted conversationalist and storyteller, always ready with a clean joke and a wry smile. He loved golf, travel, the arts, and sporting events, and enjoying all of these with his family and friends.