20 Dec 2004 posted by: Todd Ogaard
Our beloved President Walter S. Teruya, the first president of the Japan Sendai Mission (1974-77), passed away on Saturday, December 18, 2004 at the age of 89, finally released from the ravages of Alzheimer’s disease.
Until about four weeks prior to his death, he still attended church every week, and Dwayne Wada, a '74-'76 Sendai Alumni (his home teacher since 1994), accompanied him to High Priest Quorum Meetings.
Although Walter didn’t remember much of that which was recent, his life still focused around his faith until the end. He passed away on a Saturday, but woke up thinking it was Sunday and he needed to get ready to go to church, according to Dwayne.
Just one week before his death, Walter was one of four Hawaiians specifically honored by President Hinckley in his remarks at a special special fireside meeting in the Honolulu Tabernacle that was broadcast live to all stake centers in Hawaii.
Sister Teurya is doing well both physically and mentally. She cared for Walter lovingly and patiently during those last years—they had been married 63 years! She looks forward to receiving notes from her missionaries and takes care to answer every one while she still is able. Please remember her in your prayers.

From a Teruya Jidai RM
On the 18th, I had a remarkable dream in which I was standing in a parking lot, talking to a circle of friends, when a sister missionary (face familiar, name not) interrupted us to tell me that Pres. Teruya was inside, and wanted to see me. She led me into a (hotel? restaurant?) room to sit down with Pres. Teruya and catch up. He was sitting among two rows of big, big islanders, in the front. We sat on the floor, cross-legged, and joked and talked -- I remember no details, except that he looked great, smiled a lot and his emphasis (as always) was on being happy, having joy. We hugged and he felt remarkably strong -- like a weightlifter. I commented to him that for an 80+ year old man, he was in incredible shape. Then it was time to go, and I walked back out to my friends, waiting outside. Then I woke up. I don't remember many dreams, but this one was such a happy dream that I couldn't forget it. I wrote it down. Needless to say, the announcement of his passing, the next day, was not a surprise, but did hit me, because I suddenly felt very privileged to have gotten that relaxed, happy conversation with him before he went. I wonder if any others had dreams like this? Nobody can tell me it was a coincidence. We are all connected in ways none of us understand. :-)

From Aubrey Guynn:
President Teruya was a great inspiration to me throughout my life. In the callings I've had in the Church I have tried to be as kind, as patient, as loving and as gentle as President Teruya was as my Mission President.
When I had been out 18 months or so without a baptism I felt a lot of pressure and it made my stomach hurt. Week after week in my weekly report I listed my painful stomach in the "Health" comments of my report. I was working hard and following the rules and trying the best I could to find investigators to take to baptism but it just wasn't working out that way. Finally President Teruya asked me to meet him in Sendai after Church one Sunday. "Why do you always have this stomach ache on your report," asked President Teruya when we sat down for this interview. I told him my stomach always ached when I was nervous or felt stress. "Oh, Aubrey," said the President ( he always called me by my first name), "you shouldn't let the things of the Gospel make you feel nervous or stressed out," he said. "Look, when you feel this stress, you do this one thing, ok?" "What's that?" I asked. "You take your companion and you get your feeshing pole and you go feeshing. I don't care if it's P-Day or whatever day. I don't care if it's Sunday! You get your feeshing pole and your companion and you go down to the ocean and you go feeshing. OK?" "Wow," I thought. "Go fishing?" I asked. "That's right. You go feeshing. That's what I always do when I feel pressure. And the pressure will go away, I promise." The pressure did go away. I never went fishing while I was on my mission. But knowing that I was more important to President Teruya than rules or numbers or even commandments made me feel more relaxed and confident. It made me feel that President Teruya truly loved me--and that made all the difference in the world. President Walter Teruya was a Christ-like man. I love him and respect him and look forward to the day when we shall all meet again--if I can just measure up and endure, as he endured, to the end.

From Tim Branham:
I never served in the office with Pres. Teruya he always told me that he, "...could not afford to take his best missionaries out of the field". Sorry, those of the office staff - no negative reflections intended. You all know how Pres. Teruya always told you what you needed to hear. Therefore, I did not know him as well as some. I really appreciated the profile of him someone recently posted. It increased my appreciation for him. This much I did know of him - He loved me and all of you. He brought us together often to celebrate and perpetuate that love. I did not know until recently that all missions did not get together as often as we did. This was the wisdom of Pres. Teruya - No matter where we were transfered in the mission or with whom. You would never feel like a stranger or feel alone for he made us a Zion of One.

From David Webster:
After reading Branham's, Ogaard's and Guynn's thoughts, I had to post my own. Amazing how practically none of us knew the depth of the President's love and insight into young Elder's and Sister's souls. The 6 month taikais were just an expression of that insight. I have always thought it remarkable (practically miraculous) that no missionary was ever sent home prematurely during the President's 3 years. Not that we didn't have our problems. But I remember that anyone who was having trouble was pulled to within "arms length" (usually no further away than Sendai South) for extra loving care and guidance (and close supervision). We all owe a lot to Pres. Teruya for his humor, love, example.