AUBURN – Dr. Yasuo Kanda, 90, of Auburn, passed away on the evening of Friday, the 13 of December, 2019. He was born in Shibuya, Japan on July 7, 1929 to Usaboru and Mitsu Kanda. Yasuo attended Kawagoe (Jr.) High School and was then accepted into one of the best high schools in Japan, the Rikugun Yonen Gakko Military Academy in Tokyo, which he attended for 14 months until the end of World War II.He then worked as a clerk in Tokyo until attending Jikei Medical College, Mie Prefectural University School of Medicine to earn his medical degree. He entered family practice with his father and then traveled to St. Joseph’s Hospital in Tacoma, Wash. for his first internship. He traveled to Regina, Saskatchewan for a second internship at Regina General Hospital, where he fell in love with a young nurse named Lena, and they were married in December of 1964. They traveled to Vancouver, B.C. and Chicago for his post-graduate studies in anesthesia, and moved to Lewiston in 1969 where he became an anesthesiologist at St. Mary’s Hospital for 25 years. He also taught at St. Mary’s School for Nurse Anesthetists.Dr. Kanda had a long list of hobbies and interests. He was a gardener, played golf and tennis as well as bridge and mahjong, enjoyed cooking and baking, and hosting dinner parties for his friends. In his retirement, he discovered ballroom dancing, and he and his wife competed internationally, winning many competitions including the Ten Dance Championship in Lowell, Mass., partnering with his dance instructor Mandy Ball. He was a lover of music, especially Viennese waltz and operetta; Johann Strauss II was his favorite composer. He also enjoyed hymns and loved to listen to Lena’s singing.He is survived by his wife, Lena; his son, Kevin, his daughter, Kimi; and his granddaughter, November.Condolences may be shared with the family at www.thefortingroupauburn.com. A memorial service will be held at Court St. Baptist Church on Monday, December 16 at 2 p.m. In lieu of flowers, the family encourages donations in his name to Doctors Without Borders (doctorswithoutborders.org) or China Lake Baptist Camp (chinalakecamp.org).