PORTLAND, Ore. — This past weekend, the Portland community lost a dear friend, a small business owner and a theater enthusiast.
Some knew Yohhei Sato as “Mr. Portland” or the “Mayor of Portland,” his friends told KGW. Others knew him from his mobile knife sharpening company, Sato Sharpening.
"[There] was some Japanese pride there too,” said one of his best friends, Noelle Eaton, referring to Sato's knife sharpening. “He was like, ‘I know how to do it right.'"
Sato sharpened the knives of some of the best chefs in Portland, and his technique was widely honored.
Sato's friends held a memorial at the Landmark Saloon on Wednesday night, where his friends and loved ones had the chance to reminisce on moments they each had with Sato.
“Whiskey Wednesdays at the Landmark was his night,” said Sato's friend Scott Weidlich. “Like, he promoted it maybe more than the bar ever did. So, now I can come here and I can talk to people that remember him ... but he's not gonna be here with me, unfortunately."
The Landmark Saloon, one of Yohhei's favorite places to hang out and pass the time, took to Instagram when the devastating news broke.
Writing in part, "The overwhelming privilege of knowing this human has been such a precious gift … you are forever loved."
RELATED: After losing two children to cancer, family deals with rare childhood condition for third time
Here’s what Sato's friends said they will miss most about him:
“I miss that he would accept you in any state that you were in. If you were at rock-bottom he would sit there with you. If you were on cloud nine he would be your biggest celebrator. He had a profound impact on a lot of people. He gave a lot to a lot of people and we're just trying to honor him the best we can and the last part of his life,” said Logan Loughmiller, a friend.
“I mean, he was my best adventure buddy. Like we went on so many epic camping trips and hikes and we camped every single weekend for a summer. And I think part of spring too. Just every weekend we wanted to see the seven wonders of Oregon,” said Noelle Eaton, one of Sato's best friends.
“I consider him one of my best friends and I'm not the only one. There's 50 or 100 people who consider him one of his best friends and that's really incredible, and there are people that I have seen the outpouring of grief and shock and sadness. People who just went to his food cart and knew him through that or had him sharpen his knives and knew him through that and he still made them feel like they were the most important person in the world,” said Kristopher Mahonuy-Watson, a friend.
If you'd like to help, Yohhei's friends have started a GoFundMe page to cover his parents' travel expenses to and from Japan and memorial services preparation expenses. Anything raised over the $50,000 goal will go to his family.