Tony Tsunehisa Yamada, age 85, passed away peacefully on Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025, in Lehi, Utah, surrounded by his loving friends and family.

Tony was born in Yokohama, Japan, on July 17, 1940, but largely grew up near Himeji in western Japan. After graduating from Akashi High School in 1959, he studied in Tokyo, where he met his future wife, Marie Anderson. He followed Marie to Provo, Utah, and attended Brigham Young University, then transferred to the University of Utah to study architecture. Tony and Marie married in 1969 and went on to have two children, Erika and Marc.

Throughout his career, Tony achieved many significant milestones as an architect, designing buildings for clients worldwide.

Everyone knew Tony for his warm generosity. He was always quick to pay a dinner bill or buy a nice present for those he loved. He had incredible charisma and a bright, authentic smile that charmed everyone who met him. Tony also had a love for art. He would draw sketches of the many exotic places he visited and paint portraits of his loving wife.

Tony is survived by his daughter, Erika (Elson); son, Marc (Mikilani); and his five grandchildren, Kyle, Benjamin, Jacob, Sean and Cate. He is also survived by his two brothers, Masakuni Sasaki (Keiko) and Takahide Sasaki (Eiko).

A celebration of life in Tony’s honor was held on Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025, at 11 a.m. at the Dai-ichi Ward building in Salt Lake City.