FAIRLEE, VT — Kazuhiko Itagaki, age 93, died peacefully 1 February 2021 in assisted living in Oakland, CA, declining after a bout of mild COVID complicated by dementia and diabetes. He was born in Hokkaido, Japan on 14 February 1927; the only son of the president of Snow Brand Dairy products; he received his doctorate from Hokkaido University in ice and snow physics with the renowned Ukichiro Nakaya and was invited to work in applied research at CRREL in 1964.
Over the years, he received several recognitions from the Department of Army for his work in a range of topics including work to facilitate winter time operations at the Great Lakes Shipping Locks at Sault Ste Marie Michigan; research on helicopter rotor blade icing that took him to the top of Mt Washington in winter; as well as icing on the heat shields of the Space Shuttle Program.
A gentle and quiet man who loved dogs, opera and beer, he was predeceased by his artist wife Aya, who died in 2014. Aya would often credit her success as an artist to Kazuhiko because he supported her in her artistic endeavors not only financially but by building frames, shoji screens, stands and other structures for her art work. He also brought his creativity to his home in Fairlee which was modeled after a Japanese farmhouse, to the Okinawan Karate Dojo where he built a shrine, as well as to other locations in the Upper Valley. Aya and Kazuhiko enjoyed many travels together to Turkey, Greece, the Bayreuth Festival in Germany, Italy, driving across the US and in later years, on trips with his daughter and her family to Morocco, to see how the nomads live and the Galapagos to see the tortoises, sea turtles, and sea lions.
Supported by his family, he was able to live summers for 6 of the last 7 years in Fairlee, enjoying the view from his home, SanMon (most important gate of the buddhist temple), watching the birds and waters of Lake Morey, and eating ice cream at Whippi Dip. He resided winters with his daughter Sachi and her family in California accompanying them sailing, trips to Hawaii and in other activities. In his last year, he enjoyed the views of San Francisco Bay from their home in Marin County, spending hours with binoculars watching the egrets, herons, ducks and geese and ships passing by. Kazuhiko enjoyed knowing that his granddaughter Miya, was following in his footsteps while serving as a junior officer aboard the US Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star, the only US heavy icebreaker, during the current Arctic mission
He is survived by sons Haruhiko (Lisa Gichner) and Junji, and daughter Sachi (Kirk Miller) and four granddaughters: Leah (Kiran Kumar), Sarai (Michael Meyer), Miya and Romi. A memorial event will be held in the Upper Valley after the pandemic.