Hason "Haas" Fujio Yanaga passed away peacefully February 16, 2021. He was born August 21, 1926, fifth in a family of six boys, he loved the land and nature thus his favorite song was "Where the Columbines Grow," the state song.   Haas grew up on a 160-acre farm/ranch near Ft. Lupton, Colorado with an unobstructed view of Long's Peak. His parents were immigrants from Japan making him a "nisei" or the second generation.

In WWII he served at General Douglas MacArthur's headquarters in the Pacific as an interpreter. Being in Military Intelligence allowed him to view Hideki Tojo in his prison cell at Sugamo Prison. Haas was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal for his participation.

He attended the University of Denver on the G.I. Bill for his BA and earned a master's degree of Education. He retired from the Denver Public Schools as an educator after 32 years. During that time, he volunteered with the Aurora Human Rights Commission. Hass had a subsequent career in security and as a police volunteer. For sports he has been on bowling leagues, on a senior's softball team and played tennis. In retirement, he especially enjoyed gardening.

Haas was a life member of the America Legion Post 1 and Voiture 97 Forty and Eight. In the interim he served and retired from the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary after 15 years.

He is survived by wife Florence (née Endo) Yanaga, originally from Maui, Hawaii and daughters Valerie (Alan) Appelbaum of Littleton, Colorado; Denise (Steve) Livingston of Denver, Colorado; and Naomi (David) Wilsey of Needham, Massachusetts, his grandsons Gierma Livingston, Scott Wilsey and D.J. Wilsey.

A private family service will be held at Ft. Logan National Cemetery, Denver, Colorado, where he was initially inducted into the army on November 21, 1944.