Nobuko “Mary” Kamada

Nobuko “Mary” Kamada of St. Louis, Missouri, passed away Tuesday, January 16, 2018, at the age of 88.  Loving wife of 61 years to the late Tsutomu "Tom" Kamada; honored daughter of the late Kenzo and Ayako Kumagai; devoted mother of Mika (Joe) Cole, Yumi (Wayne) Haraguchi, Satoshi (Kristi) Kamada, and Akemi (Dave) Ensor; cherished grandmother of David Cole, Cynthia Cole, Hana Cole, Brett (Lisa) Haraguchi, Kirby Haraguchi, Rachel Kamada, Ryan Kamada, Bryan Ensor, Kathy Ensor, and Julie Ensor; and dear sister of Kiyoshi Kumagai, Toshiko Kawashima, Takeshi Kumagai, and the late Makoto Kumagai.

Nobuko was strong in her faith, and was a member of Trinity Episcopal Church in St. Charles, Missouri.  She was a true homemaker and a woman of many talents.  She loved sewing and knitting, but her true passion was cooking, and she was a great cook.  She could always be found in the kitchen creating something amazing for her family.  Everyone looked forward to her specialty, Gyoza, or pork dumplings, which she couldn’t make fast enough to fill everyone’s satisfaction!

Nobuko had a green thumb for indoor plants, and was trained and licensed in Ikebana, the Japanese art of flower arranging.  More than anything, she loved spending time with her family and they traveled to all 50 states on vacations throughout the years.  She and her husband enjoyed many trips to Europe and Asia, and voyaging on cruise ships.  In her spare time, she enjoyed watching Japanese Dramas and Sumo Wrestling.

Nobuko was a delight to be around, and would light up a room with her smile.  She was a petite lady, but strong willed, and as a breast cancer survivor she overcame a great challenge.  She was dearly loved, and will be greatly missed by all who knew her.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Parkinson's Disease Foundation, Alzheimer’s Association, American Cancer Society, or Trinity Episcopal Church.