Akiko Kawano Jones of Bowling Green, Ohio and Kobe, Japan passed away on June 13, 2026, after a brave battle with pancreatic cancer, which she faced with her signature optimism and smile.
Born and raised near Kobe, Akiko graduated from Kobe College and came to the United States in 1970 to teach at Bucknell University, where she earned a Master’s degree. She married Eric Jones in 1974, and they later moved to Bowling Green after teaching on the Navajo-Hopi Indian reservation in Arizona and starting a family in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Akiko began teaching Japanese at Bowling Green State University in 1983 and became a beloved leader in its Asian Studies Program, serving as Director from 2005 to 2019 and later as Teaching Professor Emeritus. She created study-abroad, cultural immersion, internship, and community outreach events and programs, including the annual Cherry Blossom Festival. Akiko received numerous honors, including BGSU’s Faculty Senate Lifetime Achievement Award, Master Teacher Award, and the American Association of Teachers of Japanese Teacher Award.
While Akiko was a bridge between Japan and America, her greatest joy was her family. She lived her ichigo ichie philosophy—treasuring each moment—most fully with them: attending swim meets, piano recitals, hockey games, and soccer matches, and savoring family weekends and trips (where she especially liked to binge-watch tennis tournaments).
She was preceded in death by her parents, Eizo and Sumiko Kawano, and her sister, Yuko Maekawa. She is survived by her husband, Eric; her children, Nathaniel (Erika) Jones and Natalie (Joseph) Hoffman; her sister, Hiroko Kawano; her nephew, Yoichiro Maekawa; her niece, Yukiko Bickell; and her grandchildren, Parker, Hadley, Emika, Juna, and Emmett, who knew her as “Baba-chan.”
Join Akiko’s family in celebrating her life on September 19, 2026 at the BGSU Lenhart Grand Ballroom at 1:00 pm. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Akiko Kawano Jones Japanese Study Abroad Scholarship.
