Rev. LaVerne Senyo Sasaki passed away peacefully in his sleep on March 31, 2023, at the age of 93. The eldest of five sons of Rev. and Mrs. Sensho Sasaki, he was born on March 5, 1930, in Stockton, California. He graduated from Sacramento High School, Sacramento State, Tokyo University, and University of the Pacific and received ministerial training in Japan and the U.S.
Active in inter-faith and the larger community his entire adult life, he served the Buddhist Churches of America for 40 years at the Stockton, Mtn. View, and San Francisco Buddhist Temples.
LaVerne and his wife of 60 years, Helen (Yokoi) Sasaki, had five children: Brian (Lorin) Sasaki, Sharon (Robert Yamamoto) Sasaki, Stanton (Lisa) Sasaki, Ellen (Gus) Maseba, Rina (Eric) Vignola, and 13 grandchildren.
Upon retirement, he continued to be active as a guest speaker at BCA temples, was a Giants, Warriors, and Raiders fan, exercised by lap swimming and daily walks, enjoyed watching NHK and TCM, spent countless hours on his iPad reading newspapers, and kept volumes of daily notes in personal journals.
Funeral services will be conducted by the Buddhist Churches of America on Sunday, April 30th at 3 pm at the Mountain View Buddhist Temple. 575 North Shoreline Blvd, Mtn View, CA 94043. Facemasks will be required. Attendance via Zoom will also be available. In lieu of flowers, the family would be grateful for donations in LaVerne's name to the Buddhist Churches of America or organization of your choice.
