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Roland Takaoka: Memorial

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Roland Takaoka was a friend to every person he met. He chose to expand into joy rather than accept defeat throughout every adversity that he faced.
In 2012, he faced a major stroke that took many things from him: his ability to play guitar, his ability to practice martial arts, and his ability to move half of his body--among many other things. Instead of letting this extreme life-changing event be the "end-all", he still chose happiness and joy. Roland was the most consistently positive person that I have ever met--and none of it was an act. He was TRULY the happiest person. 

As his step-son's girlfriend, I had the honor of living with Roland for just over three years. While he had a lot of physical limitations, he was constantly looking for ways to support Barbara (his loving wife), Kyle (his step-son), and me. He was always there to talk Barbara down from a long day at her job and remind her how loved she was. He was always there for Kyle to talk about his passions, and he was always there to dispel any anxieties I had been struggling with.

Unfortunately, on Sunday, the 19th, Roland suffered another Major Stroke (his 4th stroke)--but this time, he did not recover. The stroke affected his ability to breathe on his own, and on August 23th, after a long battle, he succumbed to the event.
 Because Roland had been self-employed for the majority of his life, his disability insurance was little-to-none, and Barbara spent all of her savings on his medical costs. Roland finally started receiving SSI benefits about a year ago, but with the expenses of his last hospital stay and the SSI benefits being removed due to his passing, we are left with many final expenses. I am hoping that this GoFundMe will be a way in which his online community will be able to show some final support for Roland's family and help provide us a way to put him to rest in a way that he deserves. 





An interview with Roland Takaoka to hear his life story
 

Organizer and beneficiary

Rebecka Hahnel
Organizer
Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
Barbara Peeters
Beneficiary

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