Gordon Kusayanagi didn’t care much about money. He didn’t care
about status.
Hollister – Gordon Kusayanagi didn’t care much about money. He didn’t care about status.
Gordon Kusayanagi only cared about providing for his family, jamming in his rock band and giving back to his community, friends and family said Thursday.
But now his wife, two adult children and two grandsons must piece their lives back together after losing their husband, father and friend.
Kusayanagi was killed Wednesday when Rialto resident Stephen Michael Ressa drove a stolen Buick into a crowd of people on the Las Vegas Strip.
In addition to Kusayanagi, Mark Modaressi, 26, of Irvine, Calif., was also killed in the crash. Of the 12 people injured, six remained hospitalized Friday. Two are listed as serious, with the rest in good or fair condition.
“During my father’s final moments he was surrounded by the love of his wife, two best friends and total strangers that tried desperately to save him,” his son Scott wrote in a statement. “As Mr. Ressa is already in custody, it is our intention to pursue prosecution to the fullest extent of the law for our family and the others affected by these crimes. Justice needs to be served.”
Kusayanagi, 52, who lived in Hollister with his wife, Stephanie, was vacationing in Las Vegas with his wife and his two best friends, his son said. The group was on its way to see a show when Ressa intentionally drove the car he’d stolen from his mother into a crowd of people for unknown reasons.
“I got the call about 5:20pm from my uncle, my dad’s best friend, who is also my godfather. I heard my mom screaming and I heard other people screaming,” Scott said. “He said there’s been an accident and you need to get here right now.”
Kusayanagi’s daughter Sarah, 24, works as a dispatcher for the Morgan Hill Police department, lives in Gilroy, and has a 7-year-old son, Cameron. Sarah, Scott, their grandparents and some close friends flew to Las Vegas and returned to Hollister Friday.
Scott, a 29-year-old San Jose resident with a 6-year-old son, Brady, said his father was struck by the car from behind and thrown approximately 20 feet in the air across an intersection. When he landed he was not breathing, had no pulse and was unconscious.
“It is our understanding that he died virtually on impact,” Scott wrote of his father in his statement.
While an autopsy has already been performed, Scott said his father’s body has yet to make it home due to the ongoing homicide investigation in Las Vegas. Ressa remains in the Clark County Jail on charges of murder and attempted murder.
Kusayanagi, who was born and raised in Gilroy and had lived in Hollister for about six years, was a businessman who owned the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory in Monterey with his wife. They had owned the two Rocky Mountain stores in Gilroy until recently when they sold them and focused solely on the Monterey location.
Before getting into the sweets business, Kusayanagi worked for IBM, which was when he volunteered on the advisory board for the Gilroy Garlic Festival. Joanne Kesler, executive director of the festival, didn’t have a bad thing to say about the man she could only describe as a “very, very nice man.”
And while Kusayanagi’s employees said he was a great boss and a quiet, kind person, he had a passion that put him in the spotlight often. He played guitar and keyboards for the rock cover band Ten ’til Two, which just played a gig last weekend at the Cantina in Tres Pinos, said one of his band members, Scott Dinn.
“Just five days ago we were all together. It’s so hard,” Dinn said. “He was dedicated to his family and the band. My partner in back now isn’t there – it’s going to be very odd to continue. He was supposed to be on vacation.”
One of the band’s regular gigs was at Bushwhackers Bar in Monterey, which headlined them every month for the past four years, said owner John Eales. While Eales didn’t know much about the incident that took the life of the man he described as a “very unassuming,” he said the band packed the place every time they took the stage.
“They were really very, very good,” he said. “They were one of the very best, and one of my favorites.”
Kusayanagi’s son, who sings lead in the band, said while he’s still in shock and not sure what to do about many aspects of this tragedy, he’s absolutely positive about one thing – keeping the band together in memory of his father.
“We will continue to play, we think that’s what my dad would want,” his son said. “I have a close friend who’s going to take over. That’s the only thing I know.”
Funeral services have not been scheduled, however Scott Kusayanagi said the family will make a public announcement when a date is set.
“Although my father touched many lives in his 52 years, we politely ask that only family and close friends try to contact us,” his son stated.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Erin Musgrave covers public safety for the Free Lance. Reach her at 637-5566, ext. 336 or
em*******@fr***********.com
