Konoko Kushima

Kanoko Kushima left this world on the morning of Thursday October 16 after a long battle with cancer. She is survived by her husband of 22 years, Douglas Stokes, her older sister Tomoko, and her ageing parents, who still live in northern Japan. In addition, her mother-in-law Donna and brother-in-law Peter. Kanoko was born about sixty years ago in the rural area of Akita-ken, a northern prefecture of Japan, where the winters are fierce and making a living as a farmer (as her family had done) was a severe challenge. These are hardy folk, and Kanoko learned early the value of money and to never take anything for granted. After graduating from high school, Kanoko left home and found opportunities in other parts of her homeland and even lived in the Tokyo area at one time. Early in her life, she taught herself to speak English by listening to a radio program. This would help her find those opportunities to enrich her life and perhaps make new acquaintances in the big city.

She was born on February 26 of 1966, to mother Sugi Kushima (nee Miura) and father Suezo Kushima, in the rural town of Kita-Akita. Her parents are still living, but both suffer from the affects of Alzheimer’s Disease, particularly her mother. Later, she would return to northern Japan from the Tokyo area and found employment working in the offices of shipping companies and realtors. Life was hard for her as she earned little and had to find other sources of income. One of was performing as a singer for people’s weddings. This was a difficult existence for Kanoko, as she entered her 30s still unmarried and faced scorn and sexism from some of the men she worked around. Many Japanese offices in the 1990s and 2000s still permitted smoking at one’s desk and she hated the smell of tobacco, but had to grin and bear it as she needed the job to make ends meet.

As the 21st Century dawned, Kanoko wondered if this was all life had to offer for her. She started to consider whether it might be better to look for love outside of Japan. Her English ability meant she had possibilities that other Japanese might not. An earlier stay tin England had broadened her horizons, and she settled in Eastbourne – on the English Channel across from France. Living in Europe, she traveled to France, Italy, and Spain, and started to see herself as a cosmopolitan woman. When she returned to Japan around 2000, Kanoko offered herself to a service that might enable her to meet someone that stood in contrast to her failed relationships with Japanese men. It just so happened that the man she met – an American living in Atlanta – was also looking for someone from a different direction. He was Douglas Stokes – a guy whose family moved around often during his childhood, which gave him many different perspectives. He came to Georgia from New York City in the early 1990s to find work and continue his career as an IT professional. Their first phone call – at 3am in the US – bonded them like no other. Douglas felt – almost immediately – that Kanoko was the woman he’d been looking for all his life, and she soon felt the same about him. Within a few months, she found  herself on a plane from Tokyo to Atlanta. It was the summer of 2003, and a new world beckoned. After three nights, Douglas proposed to her and she – knowing somewhere inside that it was right – accepted. It was a Saturday and they had been driving around Cobb, taking in the sights. It was on Powers Ferry Road in Marietta and soon pulled over and found a quiet spot in an office park and the rest – as they say – was history. The wedding took place back in Japan, in Akita-ken not far from her family’s home.

Douglas and Kanoko had over two decades to explore their love and they had many great times together … there were no children but many cats and dogs over the years. One memorable time was a train trip across Canada, leaving from Toronto and arriving four days later in Vancouver – a city that Kanoko had always wanted to see. But now, cancer has cruelly taken away Kanoko’s life, though she bravely fought it for nineteen months. A tragic end to a great love story. 

A visitation will be held in the chapel of Georgia Funeral Care, 4671 S. Main Street Acworth, GA  honoring the life of Konoko on Sunday, October 26,2025 from 11:00 am till 3:00 pm with a service starting at 1:00pm