Kaoru Nagao

Kaoru Nagao of Tallahassee passed away peacefully surrounded by her family on February 10, 2020 at the age of 97. She was predeceased by her husband of 53 years, Masayoshi Nagao, who was from Hawaii. She is survived by her daughter, Irene Klay (Earle) of Tallahassee; son, Thomas Nagao (Naomi) of Vernon, Texas; four grandsons: Ken Klay, Spencer Klay, Hunter Nagao and Mark Nagao; sister, Reiko of Tokyo, Japan; brother, Akemi of Yokohama, Japan; and a host of nephews, nieces and their families.

Since Kaoru's husband served a career in the U.S. Army, she spent much of her life traveling around the world while raising her two children. She was born in Tokyo in 1922 where she lived through the terrible fire bombings of WWII. After marrying Mas, she lived in Japan, Hawaii, North Carolina, California, Maryland, Okinawa and finally Tallahassee. She was an inspired artist who started drawing and painting in her childhood. One of her fondest memories was of meeting and sketching Babe Ruth and being lifted up on his broad shoulders when he visited Japan with a team of U.S. all stars. Her family came first, so she was not able to continue pursuing her passion for art until later in life. She then won many accolades for her beautiful oil paintings, showing in Tokyo's prestigious national exhibition, Nikka-ten, many times, and finally as a judge in the Nichiyo-ten exihibitions.

Many family members around the world will miss her and cherish her memories. She was laid to rest next to her husband.