On February 18,2021, Kayo Otake passed on to heaven. She leaves behind her husband, Otake-san, daughters Miya and Kaori, their husbands, her three grandsons, her six siblings and their children and grandchildren and friends and colleagues here and in Japan.
Kayo was the Directorof Aoyama Harp in Canada. She was a musician, a pianist, a teacher and an Impresario. Through her efforts Miya and Kaori performed at Carnegie Hall. She encouraged them to achieve excellence and saw Kaori win top honours at International harp competitions and engage in a performance career in Canada and many other countries.
Kayo was proud that Miya earned several higher musical credentials and now is a member of
the Boards of Harp organizations in Canada, the USA and internationally. These three have
participated every year in harp events all over the world. Kayo loved travelling with her
daughters and considered them her best friends and companions.
Kayo had so many talents. She took up painting and her art raised funds for our club and for
budding harpists. Kayo was an exceptional hostess! Every year on her birthday, Christmas Eve, Kayo entertained as many as 200 friends at her lovely home. She offered sushi hors d’oeuvres and rich desserts. But while welcoming guests she herself cooked large roasts of turkey, of beef and of ham with all the side dishes and trimmings. I remember one year, the forty members of the Vancouver Youth Orchestra followed Kaori home. Kayo opened her cupboards and fed them all.
Kayo also proved to be a talented tour and hospitality guide. When 13 RC Tokyo Setagaya
South members and spouses travelled to Vancouver for our club’s 100th Anniversary, Kayo
received them in her home and for a whole week showed them the attractions of Vancouver
and Whistler. In 2018, at Kayo’s initiative seven Vancouver club members visited Japan to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of our twinning with the Tokyo Setagaya South club. Kayo consulted with that club to choose the very best dates in March and April to allow the mission to see the glorious cherry blossoms festival. Kaz Kadono made all the arrangements in Tokyo for the big Rotary Club event. He toured us visiting Rotarians around Tokyo’s most beautiful parks. The cherry blossoms were incredible. During the ceremony itself Michael Woolnough gave a wonderful speech about the Vancouver Club. Ian Storrs cheered him on and Kaori performed on the harp.
Kayo was always beautifully dressed and groomed for the runway, indefatigable, leading us at
speed in her five-inch heels. She whirled us through the glories of Kyoto, Hiroshima. Fukui and Kanazawa in six days. In each city we were escorted by a local resident whom she had met on Facebook. We were awed by the beauty and cleanliness of these cities, their castles, their parks and their cherry blossoms.
In Fukui, Barbara Welsh, her partner, Bob Macdonald, and I were introduced to the Founder and President of Aoyama Harp, and toured the harp factory. As his guests, we met and dined with distinguished Rotarians and Fukui personalities with Kayo providing easy simultaneous translation. It was an extraordinary gourmet dinner in an ancient terrain which none of us ever will forget. Neither will we forget the charming, vivacious and extroverted personality we saw there in Kayo. Kayo was poised and charming. She also could be tough. For example, as we sat observing the RC Fukui East meeting’s end, Kayo said to me “Talk”. Surprised, I asked “About what?” “Just talk!” she said. So I did, I spoke about our Vancouver Club and our visit and she translated with enthusiasm.
Kayo was proud her family traced its heritage back four hundred years. The men of the family
became doctors; the women often artists and musicians. Kayo was both. She grew up in
Nagoya, studied music at the University of Tokyo and there met and ultimately married her
business man husband, Otake-san. When their daughters showed talent as harpists, the couple decided Kayo and the girls should move to Vancouver where the right opportunities and supports were available. Otake-san remained a major support of the family and travelled to Vancouver twice a year. A keen skier he particularly enjoyed the slopes of Whistler. In 2015, Kaori returned to Tokyo to meet and later marry her future husband. To enable a
traditional wedding Kayo and Otake-san first renewed their vows.
Kayo joined our Vancouver club in 2004. She became the backup pianist to our dear Don Evans and later the primary club pianist. She raised the tone of our club’s special celebrations by arranging for Kaori or Miya to perform. When she fell ill, she trained Kaz and Miya to replace her. Kayo was a faithful member of the International Service Committee. She was convinced club members could not understand her English; therefore, she simply initiated and carried through actions without mentioning her role. She finally was persuaded that if she could speak at half her usual speed or less, she would be understood. She learned to do so and successfully she introduced the Consul General of Japan.
In 2007, our club and the Kinshasa Kingabwa (DR Congo) club became twin clubs. With no
forewarning the following year, the Tokyo Setagaya-South club proposed that our two clubs
become sister clubs. We agreed. Only years later did Kayo admit that she had inspired the
partnership. It is a partnership that has become very fruitful in the intervening years.
Our club twice has recognized Kayo’s many contributions with Paul Harris awards.
In November 2019 in Vancouver, Kayo was diagnosed with incurable and untreatable cancer.
She was told she had 3 months to live. Kayo flew back to Tokyo where one of her doctor
brothers arranged for her to be seen by a leading oncologist. She was given the full gamut of
tests and results within 7 days. The diagnosis was Stage 4b pancreatic cancer. She attacked this vicious aggressive disease. She successfully tolerated 12 months of chemo. During that
period, she lived! With Kaori and Miya, she continued her travels to three international events.
She visited Vancouver in March. In July we enjoyed our last visit from her as she wound up some financial matters. We were hopeful then; she was sanguine about the future but allowed us our hopes. Sadly, by December, Kayo no longer could tolerate the chemo. This was an implacable incurable disease. With Kaori and Miya and some siblings at her side and supporting her throughout her 15 month battle, at Kayo’s new home in Chiba-ken (near Tokyo) she peacefully moved on to her next major engagement - this time in heaven.
She will be deeply missed.
Thank you.
Verona Edelstein
angel painting by Kayo Otake
___________________________________________________________________________
CLICK HERE to view the photo collage presentation of Kayo.
___________________________________________________________________________
Anne Lippert:
We all remember Kayo being the kindest person you can imagine. When Anne and her husband, Wolfgang, travelled through Japan, Kayo insisted visiting the sister club. She made sure all arrangements were made to make Anne & Wolfgang welcome not just at the Rotary Club but while touring the city. Then when visitors from Tokyo came to Vancouver, Kayo made sure that everyone was taken care of and that they thoroughly enjoyed their visit here.
She encouraged all to share. Couldn’t be any kinder than you can imagine.
__________________________________________________________________________
Kaz Kadono:
Kayo used to play O Canada regularly at the meeting.
It was summer in 2019.
Don Evans passed away during his trip to Peru in May 2019, he was past president of our club and past District Governor. He also used to play O Canada and he was a great pianist.
At that time, there are three members accompanying us on the piano at the meeting, Kayo Otake, Don Evans, and Stephanie Lawton. Kayo mentioned to me “Now, Don is gone. There are only two members now and when both Stephanie and I are away, our members have to sing O Canada without piano accompaniment."
Later, I asked Kayo, “I would like to learn piano and I want to play O Canada and Happy Birthday at the meeting. That’s all I want and nothing else.” She replied to me, “If you can play, then I can travel and I don’t feel guilty not attending the meeting any more.” So, we’ve got a deal.
Then, Kayo asked me. “Do you have any musical experience?”
I said, “No, I don’t know how to read music and I was a failed student for music at the elementary school because I didn’t like my music teacher and I skipped her entire music classes. Since then I haven't touched any musical instrument.”
Thanks to Miya’s help, Kayo created very unique notes. It was her handwriting keyboard with numbers. Thumb is 1, index finger is 2, middle finger is 3 and so on. Numbers look so familiar to me. So, I started practicing. I had a few opportunities to play at the meeting last year before the COVID-19 pandemic hit. I really thanked our members for being a very generous audience at that time.
Kayo is a great teacher. Kayo is a generous giver and she can even make adult students with no musical experience play piano. Kayo is exceptional and I will miss her dearly and I always remember her. Her memory will live on in all of us forever.
___________________________________________________________________________
Barbara Welsh:
There are so many fond memories with Kayo but I want to share one story about Kayo with you today. One of the many fond memories we had travelling through Japan in the very capable hands of Kayo was in Kanazawa where she arranged for a driver to take us to a neighbourhood where the beautiful Geisha girls resided. It was rare to catch even a glimpse of one, and low and behold, Kayo’s timing was perfect. Kayo was so excited, she got out of the car giggling with camera in hand and chased after the beautiful Geisha to try to capture an image. It was so lovely to see that little girl side of Kayo. My memory of her is burned in my heart.
Bob Macdonald:
I too remember that day very well. She was almost dancing with excitement. An amazing feat given the platform shoes she was wearing. But more importantly, on that trip I learned how proud Kayo was of her homeland and we could see how hard she worked to arrange for her Canadian friends to experience so much more than the usual tourist stops. She was an amazing person and we will both miss her very much.
___________________________________________________________________________
Stephanie Lawton:
How sad I was on Tuesday when I turned on the Zoom and saw Verona giving a memoriam for Kayo. It was beautiful, heartfelt and she expressed our emotions perfectly.
Kayo was a delightful and beautiful woman, exemplifying immaculate good taste (I will always remember her in those gorgeous Chanel suits and impossibly high heels) She was so very kind, as Anne and Barbara lovingly explained. Kayo had tremendous energy to be teaching, running Aoyama Harp in Canada, traveling with Miya and Kaori and putting on those magnificent parties. She managed beautifully, living in a country with an unfamiliar language and yet being very active in the community. Almost every time we went to a classical concert there she was (and she knew all the best ones to attend, the ones where the artists were excellent).
Kayo shared my love of gardening, especially a love of flowers and was heartbroken when something destroyed the persimmon she had so carefully nurtured (probably a wild animal). Her artistic nature led her to paint and she set upon painting with the same energy she brought to all things. I got a kick out of seeing the pink piano on Facebook, one of her lovely last purchases!
Perhaps it was good that she went home to Japan to be in familiar surroundings with her family all around to share in her suffering.
How we will all miss her!
harp painting by Kayo Otake
Miya Otake:
Thank you so much to everyone for the kind words and tribute. Mom had nothing but gratitude at the end of her life. Thank you all for your wonderful memories.
___________________________________________________________________________
