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KAZUMI  KOIKE

 

小　池　和　己

 

 

1948 ~ 2008

 

“A friend much loved by many and missed by all.”


Kazumi KOIKE died March 15th, 2008 at his home in Hawai’i.

      Diagnosed with lung cancer in mid-2007, he endured an often hopeful series of chemotherapy treatments but succumbed just ten days past his 60th birthday.

      Born in Tsukui, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan on March 5th, 1948 - he was the only son of the late Yae (Nakagawa) and Isuke Koike.

      A respected graphic designer & graduate from Tokyo Zokei Daigaku (Tokyo Design Univ.), he specialized in high-profile logos for international companies.

       Together with his life-partner, they moved to Hawai’i in 1990 pursuing a rural existence on their sheep ranch - Small Pond Farm – located on the picturesque Hamakua Coast of the Big Island.

      Well educated and well traveled, he will be missed by many friends from round the world.

      He is survived by his partner: Paul (Amaury Saint-Gilles) Bryant of Papa’a Loa; his four sisters all still living in Kanagawa Pref.: Yoshiko (Takeshi) Sone, Michiko Yamaguchi and Sachiko (Seiji) Nagayama all of Sagamihara City; and Yoko (Shizuo) Maruyama of Ebina City.

      Interment in the family crypt in Japan will be at a later date. A memorial is planned for later in the year in Hawai’i.

      Cards of condolence may be sent to P.O. Box 201, Papa’a Loa, HI  96780 while individual memorials could be made to Hospice of Hilo at 1011 Waianuenue Avenue, Hilo, HI 96720 or the charity of your choice.

 

The Kanji (characters) used for Kaz’ name translate from Japanese to the following meaning.

 


小        KO – Small

 

池        IKE – Pond 

 

和        KAZU – Peaceful

 

己        MI – Self

 

 

Small of stature, he often opined about being ten centimeters (about 4 inches) taller and indeed often wore heeled boots as a young dandy in Tokyo.

 

Pond identifies with his family name and surely relates to the way in which so many people quickly felt completely at ease in his company – akin to the enveloping society of pond dwellers where each one depends on the others.

 

Peaceful was almost a mantra for his life – he hated and avoided conflict and it the end, accepted his fate and passed peacefully into the next realm.

 

Self evokes his being the only son in the still male-centric immediate post-war era although many often misread this unusual character as prosperity, a blessing he enjoyed thru his life.