Richard Kanegawa, a long-time farmer, rancher and entrepreneur from Calgary, died of a recurring lung condition Oct. 8. He was 90.
Kanegawa may have been best-known for his Heritage Inn hotels, first built in 1974 in Taber, Alta., and then expanding to seven other locations.
He is interned with his family at Lethbridge.
Originally from New Westminster, B.C., Kanegawa and his brother began potato farming during the Second World War. They later diversified into sugar beets and wheat.
Kanegawa raised commercial and purebred beef cattle, mainly Simmentals. He became known as the Japanese Cowboy — a moniker he embraced, said his daughter Sandra.
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In the 1960s, Kanegawa and several cattle producers from the Vauxhall, Alta., area where Kanegawa Farms Ltd. operated, imported a Simmental bull from Switzerland. They paid $100,000 which is about $800,000 in today’s dollars. Richard also dabbled in the Maine-Anjou and Limousin breeds.
“Richard was a great leader in the cattle and hospitality industry,” said Ray Speaker, a retired Alberta MLA and federal MP and a neighbour at Enchant, Alta. “I recall his entrepreneurship in each.”
Kanegawa travelled worldwide to seek the views from the world’s tallest buildings, and to taste the best seafood anywhere, “but knowing nothing could beat Alberta beef and potatoes,” said daughter Shelley.
Kanegawa’s wife, Suyeko (Sue), survives him, along with three daughters — Sandra, Shelley, and Susan — and their families.
