With great sadness we announce that Kevin Cleary passed away peacefully in the early morning on January 16, 2014 in Kyoto in the presence of family. Kevin was an exemplary teacher, author, leader, and most of all, friend.
Naoko Fujiwara 藤原　直子様（奥様）(Kevin’s wife) would like to invite all of Kevin’s friends and colleagues to the wake and funeral. Services will be held in Tokyo at St. Ignatius (Kojimachi Catholic Church) at Sophia University in Yotsuya. The wake will be held at 19:30 pm on Tuesday, 21 January 2014, in the Main Chapel. A funeral mass will be said in Kevin’s memory at 13:30 pm on Wednesday, 22 January 2014, also in the Main Chapel. If you would like to send flowers, please contact 栄光式典社 (03-3370-4902). To send a condolence card, please mail it to JALT Central Office. We will collect all of the cards and take them to the family. It is customary to give money as a condolence gift at funerals in Japan. At Buddhist funerals, this is called 香典 (Kouden). However, these are Catholic services, so it is called お花料 (Ohanaryo). If you cannot find a special Ohanaryo envelope, please use a 御霊前 (Goreizen) which you can find at many stationery shops, or even convenience stores. A plain white envelope is also acceptable. St. Ignatius Church (Kojimachi Catholic Church) is 1 minute from Yotsuya Station on the JR Chuo Line and the Marunouchi and Namboku Subway Lines. The Main Chapel seats 800 and there is a barrier-free entrance. More information can be found at http://www.ignatius.gr.jp/ in English and Japanese. The church does not respond to inquiries by email, but you may contact them directly by phone (03-3263-4584) or FAX (03-3263-4585).
Kevin was important to so many of us. If you are able to, please come to Tokyo to gather in remembrance of his life and friendship.
From the Board of Directors