Tatsui Sato, 96, one of the first converts to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Japan, died Saturday, June 15, 1996.
Sato was born in Aichi Ken, Japan, on Oct. 16, 1899. He earned a college degree in chemical science and later was a visiting professor at Brigham Young University, teaching Japanese and comparative religions.After being baptized on July 7, 1946, by U.S. serviceman C. Elliott Richards, Sato became the official translator for the church's Tokyo Mission, translating the standard works, James Talmage's "Articles of Faith" and "Jesus the Christ" and numerous other church publications.
The dedicated genealogist became a naturalized U.S. citizen, a sealer in the Salt Lake Temple, served in the branch presidency of the Dai Ichi Branch in Japan and served as a temple missionary with his wife, Tomiko, in the Tokyo Temple.
Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday, June 19, in the Fairmont Ward Chapel, 2465 S. 800 East. President Boyd K. Packer, acting president of the Quorum of the Twelve, will speak. Friends may call at Wasatch Lawn Mortuary, 3401 S. Highland Drive, on Tuesday from 6 to 8 p.m. and at the church on Wednesday from 10 to 10:45 a.m., prior to the services.