Albert Okura, the owner of the the town of Amboy and its iconic Roy’s Café and Motel, passed away early in the morning of January 27. Okura was born in Wilmington, California, 1951, and found success by opening a chicken restaurant, Juan Pollo, that quickly became a chain of 26 restaurants throughout Southern California. Okura demonstrated an interest in restoring iconic elements of Route 66, preserving the original McDonald’s hamburger stand in 1998. In 2005, he purchased the entire town of Amboy, northeast of Twentynine Palms, for $425,000.
Albert Okura was 72 years old, and leaves behind a wife, a daughter, and two sons. The cause of his death has not been released.
Okura spent the later years of his life renovating the structures in Amboy, renting it out as an event and filming location with plans to reopen Roy’s Diner. The assistant manager of Amboy, Ken Large, said, “Albert’s son, Kyle, thinks the best way to honor his father’s legacy is to bring Amboy back to life.”
