Naoko Kobayashi Goto

GOTO--Naoko Kobayashi, died in Tokyo unexpectedly on Tuesday, February 26, at the age of 46. Beloved mother of Lisa, daughter of Takashi and Ayako Kobayashi, cherished friend of The Brearley School and Isetan Co., Ltd. communities. Naoko was raised in Tokyo and attended Gakushuin elementary school, high school and college and came to this country after marrying Morihiko Goto, managing director and head of international sales at Utendahl Capital Partners, L.P. Her father, Takashi Kobayashi, is an executive advisor of Fukoku Mutual Life Insurance Co., which he served formerly as chairman and chief executive officer. Her mother, Ayako Kobayashi, is a professor of English language and literature at Tokyo Kasei University. Naoko was a woman of exquisite grace and rare intelligence who prized friends and family most importantly, and gave unstintingly of her warmth to all she knew. She was an active parent at The Brearley School, one of many benevolent involvements. Naoko was a member of the Junior League and of Nadeshiko Kai, a Japanese women's organization; she was also a volunteer at Memorial SloanKettering Cancer Center. Naoko worked in the New York office of Isetan Co., Ltd., a leading Japanese department store, in administration and translation. An accomplished linguist, she had received a master's degree in German literature from New York University, had taught Japanese at The New School and was enrolled in the graduate program in English as a second language at Columbia University Teachers College. But her proudest achievement was her wonderful daughter, Lisa, whom she treasured. She will be missed by all those who loved her in the Brearley and Isetan communities, and in the many circles where she was known. She is survived by Morihiko, her parents, her daughter, Lisa, and by two sisters and one brother. A memorial service in New York will be held in the spring.