US Congressman. A native of Sacramento, California, Matsui was born of Japanese ancestry. Elected to represent California's 3rd and 5th Districts in the United States House of Representatives, Matsui served from 1979 to 2003. Also served as a Delegate to the Democratic National Convention from California in 2000. Matsui was also later involved in several other parties and organizations. Matsui passed away on January 1, 2005, at the Bethesda Naval Hospital at the age of 63, from pneumonia and Myelodysplastic syndrome, a rare stem cell disorder.

(note from me, Susan Vargas Murphy....If it is possible transfer, I would like to manage this grave. We were his close friends. If not possible, please consider posting this eulogy that my husband gave at his Sacramento funeral service, thank you)

This was his eulogy given by his good friend, David K. Murphy:
We are here to celebrate the life of Robert T. Matsui, our representative in Congress for 26 years and our friend……. and to offer our love and comfort to Doris, Brian, Amy and Anna.

Bob was a very good friend of mine, as he was to many of you here today who shared his life…….We shared his life in different ways.
There are those of you who made that journey with his family in 1942 to the internment camp in Tule Lake

There are those of you who went to school with Bob.

There are those of you who grew up with him,

Those of us who got to know the young lawyer as we started our careers together in Sacramento before he went to Congress.

And those of you who were touched by him as he served you as your congressman.

This is a very hard thing to do because Bob was so young and, in all the years that I knew him, he seemed invincible. As a small child, I thought, as I am sure many of you did…… that my parents were also invincible…..and Bob shared some of those qualities that we recognize in parents…..
He was someone who took care of us,
He was someone upon whom we could depend
He was someone we could trust…..
He was someone who always looked out for our well being……

We knew Bob was always there for us…..and that child part of me, thought he would be here for many more years. He was supposed to do this for me….not the other way around.

Robert Takeo Matsui was born on September 17, 1941, right here in Sacramento, when the United States was on the brink of WWII. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, Bob, his father, Yas, and his mother, Alice, along with all of our Japanese community were sent to an internment camp in Tule Lake. In all of the years that I knew Bob, and I met Bob when we were in our early 20's,…..I never heard him speak of this in anger or resentment….but this was an experience that he carried deep inside of him, as did many Japanese Americans. As you know, many years later, Bob was responsible for shepherding the Japanese-American Redress Act through Congress which offered a token compensation to victims. In so doing, many Japanese Americans, especially those of Bob's parents' generation, were finally publicly able to validate the pain of this injustice, and in so doing, ease some of the grief that had haunted them for so long.

Bob's family came back to Sacramento when Bob was 4 years old and Bob led a life typical of young boys growing up in the 1950's. He sported a crew cut and played Little League which was the beginning of a lifelong love of baseball. He attended local schools, graduating from California Junior High and McClatchy High School.

I have heard stories from his classmates that there was a right of passage at his junior high school……and that right of passage took place behind the baseball backstop…..there were fights……and Bob was often in them. Maybe because of his size and quiet demeanor…….Bob was often underestimated. It is told that Bob didn't always win, but he never gave up. ….(Tell story that Steve Weinberg told me)………..(story goes something like: there was one person who Bob took on who was much bigger than he was in size…..Bob was knocked down over and over but just kept on gettting up. Finally, the other guy was so tired that he just walked away and said "you win.")

Bob just wouldn't quit. To give you a better understanding of Bob's grit, I have been told that one of his opponents was a young man by the name of James Moore…….who later received a scholarship to Oklahoma State University where he played tackle!
This must have been the beginning of his preparation for the way he would lead his life before and during his political days…….not with his fists, of course, but with that strong determination.

Bob went on the University of California at Berkeley….where he met the beautiful Doris Okada. He could not have known when he married Doris that she would play such a major part in every one of his successes in life. During this time, he was inspired to the legal field by reading the autobiography of the famed trial lawyer, Clarence Darrow, and to public service by President John F. Kennedy's speech challenging Americans to ask what they could do for their country. Bob and Doris married on Bob's 25th birthday in September of 1966 after Bob was graduated from Hastings Law School. The young couple moved back to his hometown where Bob founded his own Sacramento law practice in 1967. I got to know Bob at this time…..Bob and I, and many of his old friends who are here today, were members of the Active 20-30 club. 20-30 Club is a club of young men between the ages of 20 and 39 whose motto is "A man never stands so tall as when he kneels to help a child." Strong friendships were forged during these days when we worked side by side to help the youth of our community. In later years, when Bob was not in Sacramento anymore, whenever he would come back to Sacramento it would be as if no time had passed…because those strong bonds were there forever. Bob did not forget his friends…..during this last week I have heard many stories about Bob and one thing that touched me was the fact that when one of his friends from that old 20-30 group, Conley MacDonald, who had preceded Bob as president of 20-30, was stricken with leukemia two years ago, Bob took time out of his busy schedule and called Conley everyday of the last week of his life.

Two big events happened in Bob's life in 1972 ….. as I mentioned, Bob was president of the 20-30 club and more importantly, his son, Brian Robert Matsui was born. I want to digress a little here ……
Bob was so proud of Brian and he has turned out to be a fine young man…..this is just a cute story that I remember from way back in the old days….when Brian was pretty young….maybe 5 or 6 years old. Bob took Brian to the movies one day…..(Tell MOVIE STORY) (Bob loved taking Brian to the show and on one occasion Brian wanted some candy and for whatever reason, Bob said, "No, we are just going in to watch the movie." After the show was on, and they were all settled, Brian whispered to his dad….and Bob said "Yes, Brian"……Brian whispered back "Dad I want that candy and if you don't get it for me right now, I am going to scream out loud at the top of my lungs.")
Well….Bob did buy him the candy…and it was then that we realized that Brian was going to be a successful negotiator when he grew up.

When Bob was elected to the Sacramento City Council, the friends that he had made in 20-30--- along with the Japanese Community played a large role in getting him elected.

As a matter of fact there is a funny story about this time…..two of his childhood friends, Jerry Miyamoto and Alan Oshima, who were also members of 20-30…..were out there, along with all of us, walking the district going from house to house. No one really knew Bob in those days…..now Bob didn't ask them to do this….but Jerry and Alan never corrected anyone who thought they were THE candidate. The other candidates were just amazed at how much territory Bob covered personally knocking on all those doors.

I would like to reminisce a little and share a few more memories from those early days….
Bob was a PERFECTIONIST…..One day Bob called us and asked us to come over as he had just purchased a very nice car and he was upset because he said he had a big scratch on it.
Tell STORY (We got over to his house and he took me out to the garage and I thought the car looked pretty good. Bob did very well in his career a lot sooner than most of us and was the first one to have such a nice car. Pretty soon we were down on our hands and knees, Bob with a flashlight and he pointed out dent under the car's front fender!" Bob was not just a perfectionist…he was THE perfectionist!

Bob was a practical joker…….Tell Steve Weinberg baseball cards STORY (There was big gathering over at the Weinberg's house when we were young. Steve collected baseball cards before it became so popular and at that time, had every card set from 1954 on. Bob took about 50 of his cards at that party and proceeded to mail them back to Steve, one at a time, from different post offices in Sacramento, so he would not have a clue who had done it.)

I was not immune from Bob's pranks. On one occasion, Susan and I went to Carmel with Bob and Doris….and I don't know why we couldn't just enjoy Carmel….but Bob wanted to see a movie and picked out Andy Warhol's "FRANKENSTEIN"…….NOT a good choice….the movie was in 3-D and was very gory and scarey. When we got back to the hotel we decided to unwind and have a nightcap. ….I actually was feeling kind of scared from the movie and I told Bob …."You go get the ice…and I thought Bob was also scared….as he said…"No, you go get the ice and I'll get the glasses from my room. So I went down to the ice machine and just as I turned around to go back to our room….Bob jumped out of the bushes and let out a blood curdling scream at the top of his lungs! I would have had a heart attack if I hadn't been so young!

BOB TOOK GREAT PLEASURE IN THIS.

I used to tell him he used to be fun until he was elected to Congress but…I do hope he was a little mischievous occasionally back in Washington.

Bob represented his city council district well and became vice mayor in 1977. In that same year, our congressman, John Moss, who had represented Sacramento for almost 26 years, decided to retire. Bob and John had a special relationship and John encouraged him to run and gave him a two day head start. Bob immediately threw his hat in the ring and got organized quickly.

This race was going to be won in the primary and most people did not give Bob a chance…..again he was underestimated. He ran against the then mayor of Sacramento, Phil Isenberg, and County Supervisor, Gene Gualco, both very capable and experienced. Bob ran a distant third in the beginning but ended up winning. He would tell his opponents all during the campaign that they were so fortunate that they were doing so well and that he knew he didn't have a chance……all the time running a quiet and effective campaign…and knowing that his standings were improving daily. I asked Bob one time why he always told his opponents that…..and he said….Well, if they think that they are going to win easily, maybe they won't work as hard……. I don't know if that is what happened, but I do know that Bob won with a pretty good margin.

After that first election, Bob won 13 more times, always by large margin.
I always remember around the third election …when Bob got 80% of the vote, one of the highest percentages in the nation that year---- we were all ecstatic. Bob, on the other hand, was happy, but the only thing he could talk about was "WHO were those 20% who voted against me and could we find out their names."

Many people today have talked about Bob's work in Congress…..they have spoken eloquently and I will not recite the long list of his accomplishments.

I would like to mention how his congressional role affected the lives of people back here at home. Susan and I have a friend in our lives named Zora Balaban who came to this country from Serbia ten years ago. When she heard of Bob's death, she called us in tears because of the profound effect that Bob has had in her life. After working for two years in Sacramento with a visa….Zora applied for her green card and went back to Serbia to visit her family. Somehow her paperwork was lost and she was not allowed to come back into the United States. She remained in Serbia for one year, unable to untangle the red tape. Bob interceded for her and Zora was finally able to return in 1996 and became a proud citizen of the United States last year. Zora's story is not unusual. In her words…."What a good person he must have been to do so much good for someone he didn't even know…..even my parents couldn't have done more for me." She told us that she wished that someone her could express her feelings for Bob. And so I am telling you her story.

Doris told us that there is a gardener who takes care of the home that the Matsui's maintain in Sacramento who was similarly helped by Bob. Bob and Doris have never met him….but when Doris arrived at their home this week, she found her gardens were full of freshly planted beautiful flowers……..it was his gift to Bob and Doris…it was how he could express his gratefulness to Bob……and so I am telling you his story.

These stories reflect the profound effect that kindness can make on the world. Senator Clinton coined a new phase in her memorial to Bob this week….she said we should all practice the "Matsui Moment"…….in situations of choice……first take the road of kindness.

About Bob's time in Congress back in Washington DC------
Let me just say that in all that he did,
Bob was a man of quiet dignity who was respected by his colleagues on both sides of the aisle.
Bob was a man of integrity who always did what he thought was right for America.
Bob was kind and gracious in his interpersonal relationships.
Bob was a gentleman in all things and always there resided within him that underestimated strength to stay the course and accomplish goals to benefit his country and the home community that he represented so well.

Bob was always accessible…..he greeted you like a friend..with a warm handshake and a welcoming smile…..and if you were not his friend before you met him, you were when you walked away from him.

And so we stand here today to say goodbye to our dear friend. He comes home to remain with us in Sacramento. Bob, we were always so proud of you, our native son, and we celebrate all of the roles of your life, Bob the loving husband, the affectionate father, the doting grandfather, our respected statesman and our cherished friend. We thank God for the gift that your life was to all of us.

As President Clinton noted…..He was what was right with America.
As Senator Clinton observed…..He bridged the gaps that so often divide us.
And…..As his hometown paper, The Sacramento Bee, proclaimed…..He was a good and decent man.

Godspeed dear friend

US Congressman. A native of Sacramento, California, Matsui was born of Japanese ancestry. Elected to represent California's 3rd and 5th Districts in the United States House of Representatives, Matsui served from 1979 to 2003. Also served as a Delegate to the Democratic National Convention from California in 2000. Matsui was also later involved in several other parties and organizations. Matsui passed away on January 1, 2005, at the Bethesda Naval Hospital at the age of 63, from pneumonia and Myelodysplastic syndrome, a rare stem cell disorder.

(note from me, Susan Vargas Murphy....If it is possible transfer, I would like to manage this grave. We were his close friends. If not possible, please consider posting this eulogy that my husband gave at his Sacramento funeral service, thank you)

This was his eulogy given by his good friend, David K. Murphy:
We are here to celebrate the life of Robert T. Matsui, our representative in Congress for 26 years and our friend……. and to offer our love and comfort to Doris, Brian, Amy and Anna.

Bob was a very good friend of mine, as he was to many of you here today who shared his life…….We shared his life in different ways.
There are those of you who made that journey with his family in 1942 to the internment camp in Tule Lake

There are those of you who went to school with Bob.

There are those of you who grew up with him,

Those of us who got to know the young lawyer as we started our careers together in Sacramento before he went to Congress.

And those of you who were touched by him as he served you as your congressman.

This is a very hard thing to do because Bob was so young and, in all the years that I knew him, he seemed invincible. As a small child, I thought, as I am sure many of you did…… that my parents were also invincible…..and Bob shared some of those qualities that we recognize in parents…..
He was someone who took care of us,
He was someone upon whom we could depend
He was someone we could trust…..
He was someone who always looked out for our well being……

We knew Bob was always there for us…..and that child part of me, thought he would be here for many more years. He was supposed to do this for me….not the other way around.

Robert Takeo Matsui was born on September 17, 1941, right here in Sacramento, when the United States was on the brink of WWII. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, Bob, his father, Yas, and his mother, Alice, along with all of our Japanese community were sent to an internment camp in Tule Lake. In all of the years that I knew Bob, and I met Bob when we were in our early 20's,…..I never heard him speak of this in anger or resentment….but this was an experience that he carried deep inside of him, as did many Japanese Americans. As you know, many years later, Bob was responsible for shepherding the Japanese-American Redress Act through Congress which offered a token compensation to victims. In so doing, many Japanese Americans, especially those of Bob's parents' generation, were finally publicly able to validate the pain of this injustice, and in so doing, ease some of the grief that had haunted them for so long.

Bob's family came back to Sacramento when Bob was 4 years old and Bob led a life typical of young boys growing up in the 1950's. He sported a crew cut and played Little League which was the beginning of a lifelong love of baseball. He attended local schools, graduating from California Junior High and McClatchy High School.

I have heard stories from his classmates that there was a right of passage at his junior high school……and that right of passage took place behind the baseball backstop…..there were fights……and Bob was often in them. Maybe because of his size and quiet demeanor…….Bob was often underestimated. It is told that Bob didn't always win, but he never gave up. ….(Tell story that Steve Weinberg told me)………..(story goes something like: there was one person who Bob took on who was much bigger than he was in size…..Bob was knocked down over and over but just kept on gettting up. Finally, the other guy was so tired that he just walked away and said "you win.")

Bob just wouldn't quit. To give you a better understanding of Bob's grit, I have been told that one of his opponents was a young man by the name of James Moore…….who later received a scholarship to Oklahoma State University where he played tackle!
This must have been the beginning of his preparation for the way he would lead his life before and during his political days…….not with his fists, of course, but with that strong determination.

Bob went on the University of California at Berkeley….where he met the beautiful Doris Okada. He could not have known when he married Doris that she would play such a major part in every one of his successes in life. During this time, he was inspired to the legal field by reading the autobiography of the famed trial lawyer, Clarence Darrow, and to public service by President John F. Kennedy's speech challenging Americans to ask what they could do for their country. Bob and Doris married on Bob's 25th birthday in September of 1966 after Bob was graduated from Hastings Law School. The young couple moved back to his hometown where Bob founded his own Sacramento law practice in 1967. I got to know Bob at this time…..Bob and I, and many of his old friends who are here today, were members of the Active 20-30 club. 20-30 Club is a club of young men between the ages of 20 and 39 whose motto is "A man never stands so tall as when he kneels to help a child." Strong friendships were forged during these days when we worked side by side to help the youth of our community. In later years, when Bob was not in Sacramento anymore, whenever he would come back to Sacramento it would be as if no time had passed…because those strong bonds were there forever. Bob did not forget his friends…..during this last week I have heard many stories about Bob and one thing that touched me was the fact that when one of his friends from that old 20-30 group, Conley MacDonald, who had preceded Bob as president of 20-30, was stricken with leukemia two years ago, Bob took time out of his busy schedule and called Conley everyday of the last week of his life.

Two big events happened in Bob's life in 1972 ….. as I mentioned, Bob was president of the 20-30 club and more importantly, his son, Brian Robert Matsui was born. I want to digress a little here ……
Bob was so proud of Brian and he has turned out to be a fine young man…..this is just a cute story that I remember from way back in the old days….when Brian was pretty young….maybe 5 or 6 years old. Bob took Brian to the movies one day…..(Tell MOVIE STORY) (Bob loved taking Brian to the show and on one occasion Brian wanted some candy and for whatever reason, Bob said, "No, we are just going in to watch the movie." After the show was on, and they were all settled, Brian whispered to his dad….and Bob said "Yes, Brian"……Brian whispered back "Dad I want that candy and if you don't get it for me right now, I am going to scream out loud at the top of my lungs.")
Well….Bob did buy him the candy…and it was then that we realized that Brian was going to be a successful negotiator when he grew up.

When Bob was elected to the Sacramento City Council, the friends that he had made in 20-30--- along with the Japanese Community played a large role in getting him elected.

As a matter of fact there is a funny story about this time…..two of his childhood friends, Jerry Miyamoto and Alan Oshima, who were also members of 20-30…..were out there, along with all of us, walking the district going from house to house. No one really knew Bob in those days…..now Bob didn't ask them to do this….but Jerry and Alan never corrected anyone who thought they were THE candidate. The other candidates were just amazed at how much territory Bob covered personally knocking on all those doors.

I would like to reminisce a little and share a few more memories from those early days….
Bob was a PERFECTIONIST…..One day Bob called us and asked us to come over as he had just purchased a very nice car and he was upset because he said he had a big scratch on it.
Tell STORY (We got over to his house and he took me out to the garage and I thought the car looked pretty good. Bob did very well in his career a lot sooner than most of us and was the first one to have such a nice car. Pretty soon we were down on our hands and knees, Bob with a flashlight and he pointed out dent under the car's front fender!" Bob was not just a perfectionist…he was THE perfectionist!

Bob was a practical joker…….Tell Steve Weinberg baseball cards STORY (There was big gathering over at the Weinberg's house when we were young. Steve collected baseball cards before it became so popular and at that time, had every card set from 1954 on. Bob took about 50 of his cards at that party and proceeded to mail them back to Steve, one at a time, from different post offices in Sacramento, so he would not have a clue who had done it.)

I was not immune from Bob's pranks. On one occasion, Susan and I went to Carmel with Bob and Doris….and I don't know why we couldn't just enjoy Carmel….but Bob wanted to see a movie and picked out Andy Warhol's "FRANKENSTEIN"…….NOT a good choice….the movie was in 3-D and was very gory and scarey. When we got back to the hotel we decided to unwind and have a nightcap. ….I actually was feeling kind of scared from the movie and I told Bob …."You go get the ice…and I thought Bob was also scared….as he said…"No, you go get the ice and I'll get the glasses from my room. So I went down to the ice machine and just as I turned around to go back to our room….Bob jumped out of the bushes and let out a blood curdling scream at the top of his lungs! I would have had a heart attack if I hadn't been so young!

BOB TOOK GREAT PLEASURE IN THIS.

I used to tell him he used to be fun until he was elected to Congress but…I do hope he was a little mischievous occasionally back in Washington.

Bob represented his city council district well and became vice mayor in 1977. In that same year, our congressman, John Moss, who had represented Sacramento for almost 26 years, decided to retire. Bob and John had a special relationship and John encouraged him to run and gave him a two day head start. Bob immediately threw his hat in the ring and got organized quickly.

This race was going to be won in the primary and most people did not give Bob a chance…..again he was underestimated. He ran against the then mayor of Sacramento, Phil Isenberg, and County Supervisor, Gene Gualco, both very capable and experienced. Bob ran a distant third in the beginning but ended up winning. He would tell his opponents all during the campaign that they were so fortunate that they were doing so well and that he knew he didn't have a chance……all the time running a quiet and effective campaign…and knowing that his standings were improving daily. I asked Bob one time why he always told his opponents that…..and he said….Well, if they think that they are going to win easily, maybe they won't work as hard……. I don't know if that is what happened, but I do know that Bob won with a pretty good margin.

After that first election, Bob won 13 more times, always by large margin.
I always remember around the third election …when Bob got 80% of the vote, one of the highest percentages in the nation that year---- we were all ecstatic. Bob, on the other hand, was happy, but the only thing he could talk about was "WHO were those 20% who voted against me and could we find out their names."

Many people today have talked about Bob's work in Congress…..they have spoken eloquently and I will not recite the long list of his accomplishments.

I would like to mention how his congressional role affected the lives of people back here at home. Susan and I have a friend in our lives named Zora Balaban who came to this country from Serbia ten years ago. When she heard of Bob's death, she called us in tears because of the profound effect that Bob has had in her life. After working for two years in Sacramento with a visa….Zora applied for her green card and went back to Serbia to visit her family. Somehow her paperwork was lost and she was not allowed to come back into the United States. She remained in Serbia for one year, unable to untangle the red tape. Bob interceded for her and Zora was finally able to return in 1996 and became a proud citizen of the United States last year. Zora's story is not unusual. In her words…."What a good person he must have been to do so much good for someone he didn't even know…..even my parents couldn't have done more for me." She told us that she wished that someone her could express her feelings for Bob. And so I am telling you her story.

Doris told us that there is a gardener who takes care of the home that the Matsui's maintain in Sacramento who was similarly helped by Bob. Bob and Doris have never met him….but when Doris arrived at their home this week, she found her gardens were full of freshly planted beautiful flowers……..it was his gift to Bob and Doris…it was how he could express his gratefulness to Bob……and so I am telling you his story.

These stories reflect the profound effect that kindness can make on the world. Senator Clinton coined a new phase in her memorial to Bob this week….she said we should all practice the "Matsui Moment"…….in situations of choice……first take the road of kindness.

About Bob's time in Congress back in Washington DC------
Let me just say that in all that he did,
Bob was a man of quiet dignity who was respected by his colleagues on both sides of the aisle.
Bob was a man of integrity who always did what he thought was right for America.
Bob was kind and gracious in his interpersonal relationships.
Bob was a gentleman in all things and always there resided within him that underestimated strength to stay the course and accomplish goals to benefit his country and the home community that he represented so well.

Bob was always accessible…..he greeted you like a friend..with a warm handshake and a welcoming smile…..and if you were not his friend before you met him, you were when you walked away from him.

And so we stand here today to say goodbye to our dear friend. He comes home to remain with us in Sacramento. Bob, we were always so proud of you, our native son, and we celebrate all of the roles of your life, Bob the loving husband, the affectionate father, the doting grandfather, our respected statesman and our cherished friend. We thank God for the gift that your life was to all of us.

As President Clinton noted…..He was what was right with America.
As Senator Clinton observed…..He bridged the gaps that so often divide us.
And…..As his hometown paper, The Sacramento Bee, proclaimed…..He was a good and decent man.

Godspeed dear friend

Bio by: The Silent Forgotten