Richard Doi

Richard Doi, age 67, passed away peacefully on April 4, 2019 surrounded by family after a 12-year battle with early-onset Alzheimer’s Disease. He was born on December 13, 1951 to Misao and Elsie Doi in Salt Lake. His early childhood home was at his family’s West Side Hotel, alongside his two older sisters Karen and Charlene. Richard’s upbringing instilled in him a hard work ethic and taught him the value of a dollar. His three cousins, Juddy, Steven, and Susan resided at the Doi’s Cleaners also on the same property. They all became like siblings.
Rich graduated from West High School in 1970, where he lettered as a varsity wrestler. During this time, he, along with Steven, Bruce, & Glen formed a band, the “Road Agents.” Rich played lead guitar and sang lead vocals. They enamored the Japanese American community by playing at local dances, their fame culminating with winning the Battle of the Bands at Lagoon in 1967. Among his groupies was future wife Lynne Oshita; they were married on June 26, 1976 at the Salt Lake Buddhist Temple.
Richard graduated from the University of Utah in 1974 with a computer science degree. This was an exciting time in the tech industry, and the demand for his skills brought recruitments allowing him and Lynne to relocate to Boeing (Seattle), Northwest Pipeline (Salt Lake), GTE Sylvania (Boston), and American Express (New York) for the first seven years of marriage. They eventually relocated back to Salt Lake where Richard enjoyed a 25+ year career with American Express working as a computer programmer and database administer before retiring in 2007. Richard & Lynne had two daughters, Shelley and Jamie. Richard was very involved helping them with all sorts of school projects, sports, and attending years of dance recitals.
Richard was truly devoted to his family, always making sure his daughters, parents, and siblings had what they needed. He had deep appreciation for the arts, especially music. A visit to the Doi house would elicit everything from Bach to Motown playing on the reel-to-reel, along with an eclectic collection of albums. Rich also loved cars. His first car was a classic 1963 Austin Healey 3000 that he and his Dad fixed up and painted. He was known for delivering quick-witted one-liners and being a good friend to all. But if a situation arose, his westside upbringing made him a tough opponent. Richard was an active member of the Salt Lake Buddhist Temple, serving on the Temple Board and chairing several Obon Festivals and annual food bazaars.
The family would like to thank Silverado Aspen Park Memory Care for providing nearly five years of loving care and support to Richard and our family.
Richard is survived by his wife, Lynne; daughters Shelley (Chris) Taketa and Jamie (Tuckett) Slade; his sisters Karen (Sam) Evans and Charlene Doi; grandchildren Jackie, Miya, Corey, and Tuckett.
Please join us for a Memorial Service on Saturday, April 13, 2019 at 2:00 p.m. at the Salt Lake Buddhist Temple, 211 West 100 South, SLC. Family visitation will be held prior to the service from 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. at the Temple. In lieu of flowers, please donate to the Salt Lake Buddhist Temple.
Service Information

Memorial Service
April 13, 2019 at 2:00 PM
211 West 100 South, Salt Lake City, UT