Satoru Tsufura

Satoru Tsufura
Photographer, publisher, Sportsfolio Magazine, of Cedar Grove, 90

Satoru ("Sat") Tsufura, 90, passed away on Friday, Sept 14, 2018 at home, with his family present.
Sat was born in Los Angeles, son of Shosetsu Tsufura, a Buddhist minister and Midori, a teacher, who emigrated from Japan.
Following the bombing of Pearl Harbor, President Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066, which forced thousands of people of Japanese descent on the west coast to relocate to incarceration camps. Sat and his family who were living in Parlier, CA were interned in Gila River, Arizona in 1942. He left camp in 1944 to attend high school in Cleveland before reuniting with his parents and brother, Tadashi in Seabrook, NJ, known as the "Global Village" for its multiethnic workers. At Bridgeton High, Sat was a 4-letterman. His sports talent gained the respect of local communities, combating racism. He then joined the Army in 1946 serving in the U.S. Occupation of Japan and playing baseball.
Following his service, Sat attended Syracuse University and studied photography. His career as a photographer brought him to NYC, where he eventually opened his own studio. Among highlights of his work was a major fashion spread in McCall's Magazine featuring children in a United Nations school.
In 1981 he launched Sportsfolio, a magazine of high school sports. He desired to bring attention of colleges to NJ student athletes. The first issues focused on the schools in Essex County, NJ and later covered the entire state. The magazine closed in 1990 and Sat pursued an acting and modeling career until retirement. He landed a national commercial on his first audition, was in a short film by Director Ang Lee, and starred in a film as a father of a 9/11 victim.
Most recently Sat's life was included in a multi-media piece, "Walls; within and with(out)".
Sat is survived by his beloved wife of 59 years, Alice, his children, Donna and Lamarr; his brother, Tadashi; nieces, Lisa Tsufura (Griffith) and Eve Tsufura; nephew-in-law, Peter Griffith and grandnephew, Brantlee Griffith Tsufura. His older brother Hitoshi passed away in 2011.
The viewing will be held at Bizub-Parker Funeral Home, 47 Main St., Little Falls, NJ 07424 on Thursday, Sept. 20, from 4pm-8pm. The last half hour will be open to anyone who wishes to celebrate his life with a dedication, anecdote or a few words.
In lieu of flowers, the Tsufura family a donation to the Cedar Grove Ambulance and Rescue Squad (http://www.cedargroverescue.org/donate/), the Seabrook Educational and Cultural Center (http://seabrookeducation.org/), or your own favorite charity. A Memorial / Celebration of Life will be held later this month at the New York Buddhist Church.
For viewing updates and directions or full obituary and condolences, visit: bizub.com.