Rev. Ken Saito, 74, of La Crosse passed away peacefully on October 1, 2022 at his home surrounded by his family.

He was born on July 18, 1948 to Isao and Noriko (Matsui) Saito in Tokyo, Japan. He attended Keio University in Tokyo, a Bible college in Iowa and Dubuque Theological Seminary for his M.Div and M.A. in Pastoral Counseling. He married Rev. Linda E. Schmidt, his partner in life and ministry for over 30 years, on June 24, 1989 in San Mateo, California and had three children. He worked as a pastor for churches in California and Yokohama, Japan.

His interests were Kendo (a Japanese Martial Art), cooking, gardening, and traveling with family. In his later years, he translated "Under the Unpredictable Plant" by Eugene Peterson into Japanese with the help of other pastors in Japan especially his friend, Rev. Tomokawa and his sister.

He is survived by his wife, Linda, his children: Chikara, Naomi (Grant) and Isaku; and his younger brother and sister: Jun and Ryoko. He is preceded in death by his parents.

In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred for Gunderson Medical Foundation/Gunderson Hospice in memory of Rev. Ken Saito.

A celebration of Ken's life and a Witness to the Resurrection will be held on October 14, 2022 at 2PM with visitation starting at 1PM at 1st Presbyterian Church of La Crosse.