Mitsuo “Mits” Iwaasa

• Mitsuo Iwaasa was a man who served Brooks through his gentle and generous nature and his involvement in the community. 

• Mits was born in Cumberland, B.C. in 1929. He was fostered in an all-Japanese village outside Cumberland from the age of 2 to age 6.  

• He moved back to live with his father and siblings in 1935, starting school in the town of Royston. He lived there until 1942, moving then to his uncle’s farm near Raymond.  

• Mits moved with his father and sister to Brooks in 1950. He worked as an accountant and a bookkeeper in Brooks.  

• Mits was an artist and excelled in the art of sign painting.  

• He married Clara Stratton in 1959, and they raised their four children in Brooks.  

• He opened a printing and sign-painting business with his sons in 1965, and Mits only retired several years before his passing.  

• Mits passed away in 2016. He was always very involved in the community of Brooks, serving quietly, behind the scenes, along with his wife.  

Bibliography 

Brooks Bulletin Editor. “Iwaasa— Mr. Mitsuo “Mits” Iwaasa.” Brooks Bulletin. November 13, 2017. Accessed 20 April 2024.