Gary Steven Matsuda

July 5, 1950 - September 18, 2015

Gary Steven Matsuda, 65, passed away on September 18, 2015, in Cedar Hills, UT. He was born July 5, 1950, in Chicago, Illinois, to Yukiyoshi Matsuda and Mary Hamamoto. He grew up in Culver City, CA, and became a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in May 1969. After serving a full-time mission in the Japan West Mission, he married his high-school sweetheart, Jodee Welchman, on July 27, 1974, in the Los Angeles California Temple. After graduating from BYU, he served his country for 30 years in national security and intelligence, mostly overseas. He raised his family in Kanagawa-ken, Japan, and served in the church as a branch president, district president, regional representative, area authority seventy in the Third Quorum of Seventy, and second counselor in the Asia North Area Presidency. Gary was a kind and loving husband and father, who always put the needs of others, the Lord, and the church above all else. While known publicly for his faith, leadership, and teaching, at home he was known by his family for his sense of humor, gentleness, dancing, love of music, athletic skill, light-heartedness, gift for nicknames, love of grammar and vocabulary, and absolute fondness for his wife and children. He is survived by his wife, Jodee; his children, Jarom (and Shelby, Erie, CO), Elisa (and Adam Limon, Cedar Hills, UT), Ammon (and Kara, Erie, CO), and Laurel (and Keith Osai, North Salt Lake, UT); his sisters, Patti Edwards and Sherry Mukogawa (southern CA); and 11 grandchildren, Darius, Nikelle, Eli, Ainsley, Marcus, Kali, Charlise, Jamison, Kale, Channing, and Alexa. He is preceded in death by his parents, Yukiyoshi Matsuda and Mary Masuda, and his granddaughter, Alona Limon. Services will be held at 11:00am on Monday, September 21, 2015, at the Manila 10th Ward located at 3785 W Box Elder Dr, Cedar Hills, UT, with a viewing from 9:30am - 10:30am. Please share memories and condolences at www.serenityfhs.com.