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Fusajiro Takeda of Fukui-ken Japan emigrated to Canada in 1904 at the age of 14. After several weeks of sailing across the Pacific Ocean, he arrived in Victoria, BC, He slept in barns at first, working as a house boy and later as a baggage man for the CPR. By 1918 he had saved enough money to purchase 20 acres of uncleared land near Langley Prairie, BC. In the spring of 1919 he returned to Japan and married his childhood sweetheart, Yoshi Hatanaka, and the next year he brought his 23 year old bride home to the log cabin on his Langley Prairie farm. here they cleared the land to grow fruits and vegetables. Another 30 acres of partly cleared land was purchased in 1936.

The couple raised a family of four boys [Muneo (Mun); Joji (George); Kinji (Ken), and Iji (Roy)] and three girls [Michiko (Mickie), Nobuye (Novey), and Tomiye (Tobie)]. As the older children came of a helpful age and the family's real hardships appeared to be over, Japan attacked Pearl Harbour; in the spring, the family was evacuated, choosing to go to the sugar beet fields of southern Alberta, a decision that allowed the family to stay together in Picture Butte, Alberta. In summer they performed farm labour, and in the winter they worked feedlots and lumber mills.

In 1947 Fusajiro, Yoshi and sons Mun, Ken, and Roy pooled their funds to go into farming on an 80 acre parcel of land near Raymond, Alberta. In the years that followed, they rented more land in the surrounding area for 140 acres of sugar beets plus canning peas, grains and 150-head beef feedlot. In 1951 they purchased a 500 acre farm on the south banks of the Oldman River, 14 km north of Coaldale, Alberta, and in 1958 they acquired more land, creating F. Takeda and Sons Farm Ltd. At this time, the farm in Raymond was sold and all operations moved to Coaldale and Iron Springs. To further diversify, a General Motors dealership was purchased in Raymond, Alberta with bulk fuel and oil, and a several-bay service garage. The Takedas became partners with the Nishiyama brothers, Jack and Mac, and they went into business in October 1955. Borther Muneo left the farm to operate the business, known as Jubilee Motors. It was sold in 1989 after 34 successful years of operation.

Michiko attended secretarial school before moving to Ontario and marrying Ralph Kamo. Nobuye completed her schooling and worked at a medical clinic in Lethbridge. She married Minoru (Min) Yoshida, and they lived on the Takeda farm. Tomiye married George Sakamoto and lived in Calgary. Muneo married Toshiko (nee Sameshima). George became an electrical engineer and married Aiko (nee Nakamoto). Kinji stayed active in farming with wife Fuji (nee Kosaka). Iji (Roy) worked on the farm and married Nobuko (nee Sassa).

Fusajiro passed away on November 1, 1970, and Yoshi on May 16, 1993. By the late 1990s, the Takeda farm consisted of over 5000 acres.

SOURCE: Taken in parts from the "Nikkei Tapestry" written by Roy Takeda- see Takeda family file