Beautifully Written Tribute

Having grown up as a neighbor and best friend of Dori Shimoda, I knew Midori as a gentle man, always smiling, always busy with one amazing project after another. If it wasn’t something garden-related, it was building beautiful closets in their garage, flagstone steps, a perfect basketball court in the backyard that doubled as an above the ground swimming pool base in the Summer. I had absolutely no idea of the trials and tribulations Midori had endured earlier in his life. The chronicle that Risa and Bob created is masterfully written, capturing the essence of what must have been a very frightening and unsettling time in Midori’s life. It is a testimonial to his positivity, his drive and ambition, and his general “goodness” as a human being. His skills as a photographer could be seen weekly in TV Guide, where he received photo credits for the beautiful food photographs at the back of the magazine. I was fortunate enough to also see the wall of personal family photographs in their Dumont, NJ family room. Kudos to Risa and Bob for creating this tribute to Midori.