Gilbert O'Gawa

Gilbert McNally O'Gawa shared his joy and faith through music and dedicated his life to being of service to others through ophthalmology. A 13th generation Japanese physician, he imbued in his family an uncanny knack for problem solving.

Gil died peacefully surrounded by family on Nov 6th, 2024 at the age of 93.

Gil was born on May 2nd, 1931 in Paia, on Maui, HI to Margaret Elizabeth Braund Ogawa, a Canadian nurse, and Raymond Michio Ogawa, a Japanese American physician. In 1941, he and his parents lived a dozen miles east of Pearl Harbor when it was bombed. As a child, he enjoyed swimming in the ocean, captaining his little outboard 'Sea flea' inside the reef on Oahu, practicing Judo and tennis, and playing musical instruments - ukulele, tipple, guitar & trombone.

He attended Punahou School in Honolulu and earned his BA in chemistry from the College of Wooster in Ohio. He received his medical degree at the University of Rochester in New York, where he met and married a nursing student, Ruth Rosa Gerber O'Gawa. The two married on April 2, 1955 and moved to Minneapolis for Gilbert's internship year, and then to Detroit for his ophthalmology residency at Henry Ford Hospital.

After his two years in the Navy, Gil joined the teaching staff at Henry Ford Hospital. 20 years later the family moved to Petoskey, MI where Gilbert practiced as an ophthalmologist at the Burns Clinic.

Gil loved camping and instilled in his family a love of the outdoors. An introduction to scuba diving during his time in the Navy led to a love of diving, especially in the waters of Bonaire.

Gil loved do-it-yourself projects - home improvement, tree trimming, work on his beloved yellow International Scout II, and any other project you could imagine. There was almost nothing that he couldn't fix and if a tool didn't exist to do the job, he would create it as he did for many surgical instruments still in use today.

He found community in the Church and through music. He played in the Garter Snappers plus Four - a banjo band and floor show that entertained thousands of people in the Detroit area. He continued performing after moving to Petoskey playing with the Epsilon Jass Band. After retirement from Ophthalmology, he spent over 2 decades, driving around the country to banjo conventions. He crafted and sold banjo stands as well as selling banjos. He believed that a good day should end with an even better glass of red wine.

Gil & Ruth moved to Albuquerque to be closer to their kids and grandchildren in 2015.

Gil is survived by his children and their spouses, Sharon Dennler O'Gawa Dommermuth (Ronald Floyd Dommermuth), Gregory Scott Harrison Ogawa (Diane Jean Harrison Ogawa), and Mark Obenshain O'Gawa (Rebecca Obenshain O'Gawa) as well as seven grandchildren Michelle Marie Dommermuth, Christina Joy Dommermuth, David Albert Dommermuth, Katherine Harrison Ogawa Douglas, Al Harrison Ogawa, Richard Maleko O'Gawa, and Daniel Stull O'Gawa plus two great granddaughters, Abbie Ogawa Douglas and Zoey Anne Reilly-Crank. He is also survived by his sister Jane Spicer Ogawa Oliver (John Joseph Oliver), and brother Andrew Simpson OGawa (Catherine McConnell OGawa). He was preceded in death by his wife Ruth Rosa Gerber O'Gawa as well as parents Margaret Elizabeth Braund Ogawa and Raymond Michio Ogawa.

A celebration of Gil's life will be held on February 22, 2025, 2 p.m. at La Vida Llena in Albuquerque.

Memorial donations may be made to The Ogawa Year Out Fellowship at the University of Rochester School of Medicine.