Nobuko Green

Nobuko Green, 83, passed away peacefully on February 18, 2026, surrounded with the love of her family. She was born on February 25, 1942, on the beautiful island of Tokashiki in Okinawa, the youngest of six daughters of Ushi (mother) and Kameo (father) Omine.

In 1969, Nobuko married Charles Norman Green of Illinois, beginning a 46-year partnership until his passing that took her across oceans, cultures, and communities. Together they raised two children, Charles Robert Green (Kristal) and Kimberly Susan Green, who were the great joys of her life. Nobuko was also the proud grandmother of Jaxson Green, a senior at Bradley University, and Isabella Green (Ms. Sunshine), a freshman at the University of Missouri, and Brock Dunn of Phoenix. She cherished her grandchildren deeply, celebrating their milestones and encouraging their dreams to live a life of value and purpose.

A longtime practitioner and devoted member of Soka Gakkai International (SGI), Nobuko dedicated her spiritual life to the teachings of Nichiren Buddhism. She joyfully shared the mantra NamMyohoRengeKyo, offering encouragement, kindness, and compassion to friends, strangers, and community members alike-often simply through her presence, warmth, and unwavering optimism.

During her 34 years in downstate Illinois, Nobuko became a beloved cultural ambassador. As one of the few Asian Americans in the region, she introduced countless people to elements of Okinawan culture. She performed traditional Okinawan dance, created award-winning ikebana, and shared homemade sushi and tempura with neighbors and community groups. One of her proudest achievements was coordinating a Gandhi-King-Ikeda Exhibit, and Victory over Violence, projects that reflected her lifelong commitment to world peace, cross-cultural dialogue, and the dignity of all people.

Nobuko had a rare gift for making people feel seen, welcomed, and valued. She loved meeting new people and often created small moments of wonder and connection-writing a person's name in kanji and explaining its meaning, or gifting children delicate origami cranes she carried in her purse "just in case." These gestures were small, but for many, unforgettable.

In her later years in Chicago, Nobuko found joy and companionship at the Japanese Conversation Table at the Japanese American Service Committee, where she rekindled cultural ties and made many new friends.

When Nobuko received her stage 4 cancer diagnosis, she faced it in the spirit that Daisaku Ikeda often describes as living amid the flames of hardship while forging an unshakable life condition. Rather than retreat from the suffering before her, she stepped directly into the challenge, determined to transform it from within. Chemotherapy tested her physically and spiritually, yet she met each treatment with the quiet courage born of decades of Buddhist practice - a resolve to turn poison into medicine, to expand her compassion even while enduring her own pain. In every struggle, she demonstrated the conviction that even the fiercest trials can become sources of renewal, and she carried herself with the same warmth, dignity, and hope she had always offered to others. Her battle with cancer became not just an illness to endure, but another arena in which she proved the power of her faith, her resilience, and her unwavering belief in the possibility of victory over suffering.

As the wife of a military serviceman, Nobuko lived a life shaped by mobility and adaptation, living in Washington, D.C, and Dallas, Texas, with many treasured years stationed in her homeland of Okinawa. When her husband retired, the family settled in Illinois, where Nobuko continued building community, sharing her culture, and offering her gentle spirit to everyone she met.

Nobuko will be remembered for her kindness, creativity, cultural pride, and her deep belief in the potential for peace among all people. She leaves behind a legacy built not only on what she did, but on how she made others feel: valued, welcomed, and accompanied.

She is survived by her children: Susie and Charles (Kristal), her grandchildren, Jaxson, Bella, and Brock, a beloved niece, Namiko Takara, and many much loved nieces and nephews in Okinawa, California, Japan, Michigan, North Carolina, Florida and Illinois, and a lifetime of friends across states, countries, and cultures.

Her smile, kindness, and boundless warmth, along with her joyful Kachashi dancing, will continue to shine in the memories of all who knew and loved her.

The family will hold a memorial service at a later date and will share details when they are available.