Masako Kawakami Nanto

12/14/1940 - 09/23/2025

Masako Nanto passed away on September 23, 2025, after a long struggle with autoimmune disorders. She was born on December 14, 1940, in Matsumoto, Japan. As a top high school student there, she set her sights on studying in the United States. Her American odyssey began at Brigham Young University (initially at its Hawaii campus), where she graduated in 1967. There, she met her husband-to-be, Dick Nanto. Several years later, the two returned to BYU in Provo, Utah, where she taught Japanese language classes.
In grade school in Japan, Masako once had to sing a solo of "Carry Me Back to Old Virginny." Little did she know that from 1980, she would make Northern Virginia her home, first in Fairfax and then in Clifton.
Masako had four great loves in her life: her profession, her church, her garden, and her family and friends. As an instructor of Japanese language and culture, she taught American diplomats for 30 years at the Foreign Service Institute of the U.S. Department of State. While teaching, she earned a master's degree from George Mason University.
As a teenager in Japan, Masako joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She served in various teaching and leadership positions, including a three-year stint facilitating meetings in the Church's addiction recovery program. Much like her garden, she nurtured both her faith and the faith of others. Her two-acre garden in Clifton became a gathering place and was always open for visits by friends and family. Many looked forward to her annual garden parties, where more than 100 busy people stopped to smell the roses, have a snack, and renew acquaintances. She was known as the Flower Lady for the bouquets she took to friends.
Occupying a special place in her heart were her close friends and family. Her mothering moments of joy multiplied as her son grew from toddler to teen to adult. She loved her husband of 58 years and likewise loved her son's family, her siblings, and numerous relatives from both the U.S. and Japan. She especially enjoyed family reunions and weekly visits by the grandkids. Each time they came to visit, they would play the latest piece they had learned on the piano.
Masako was pre-deceased by her parents, Tomiji and Ayako Kawakami, and brother, Kennichi, in Japan. She is survived by her husband, Dick; son, Brian, and his wife, Natalie; grandchildren, Ella, Paul, Luke, and Sam; her sisters, Mihoko Koshihara and Akiko Miyazawa; and a large and growing Nanto clan. A memorial service will be held at the Centreville Virginia Stake Center (14150 Upperridge Dr., Centreville) of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at 11 a.m. on November 1, 2025.