Kelly Okamoto Obituary

I was very sad to hear of the passing of Kelly Okamoto. He was a former student of mine at Indiana State University, and we had corresponded off-and-on over the years. My sincerest condolences to his family and friends.



Dalvin Boone

Kelly was a fun person who insisted that I read "Clan of the Cave Bear". When I did not immediately purchase it, he sent me a copy. He also was diligent to inform me of any TV show regarding anything weird, i.e. UFOs, Loch Ness Monster, Big Foot. He was an intellectual with a sense of humor! A world traveler with a knack for telling stories, and a master musician. If there was something he didn't know, he researched it. He was a pure pleasure and a great son and big brother! We miss him!



Caryl Okamoto

Dear dear Kelly. . .what a shock to find he is gone. Kelly taught me all I know about classical music and jazz - he was my supervisor at KCME radio, the "classical voice" of Colorado Springs when it first went on the air 25 years ago. We shared our experiences, forged the sound and the day to day workings of the radio station, and formed a full friendship as well. Kelly and I both loved Japanese food, and whenever he came to my house for dinner he said that the cooking aromas reminded him of his grandmother (high praise indeed!) He also was very fond of his other grandmother's persimmon pudding and I vowed to find a recipe and treat him to it. . . sadly, that never happened.

Sadly, too, he and I lost touch in recent years, and I never even knew he was ill. But I have lots of cherished memories, mostly centered around music and food. We'll have the persimmon pudding next time around, dear friend. . . till then, love, Carol

My sincere condolences to Kelly's family and friends. I enjoyed his presence in my ISU classes immediately. He was relentless in requesting me to find pieces for jazz band that included the tuba. O yes, I do remember his flute playing in Woodwind Tech where he employed his tuba size air stream to the poor instrument causing every pad to vehemently shake!



John Spicknall

Music Faculty

Indiana State University

Terre Haute, Indiana

Kelly was one of the first people I met when I arrived for my first rehearsal with the Colorado Springs Symphony in 1992. He was always a quick wit, very intelligent, and one of the very nicest people I have ever met here or anywhere. I will miss my friend Kelly very much and am thankful that I knew him as a friend and colleague. God Bless you, Kelly.

Kelly will be missed by many. My condolences to Liliane and the Okamoto family.

Rosa Lee (Davidson) Weir

How is it possible my friend Kelly is gone. I met Kelly at UNC- he was a tuba performance major, I was a piano performance major. I shook his hand, when Kelly found out I was a pianist he said "You're the first pianist to very shake my hand LIKE THAT!!!" We became friends from that day.



Kelly had a great intellect, without being a snob, which in graduate school was very refreshing. Many people didn't realize Kelly loved opera, in fact I finally developed a taste for it after listening to "Turandot" and drinking a few beers at his apartment in Greeley.



I moved to Colorado Springs soon after my mother's death and Kelly helped me like a brother. I will always be grateful for his kindness, help and humor.



Kelly loved his wife Lillanne with all his heart, it was obvious simply by the smile on his face when he spoke about her. Kelly loved music, he was like a kid when he heard a favorite piece (classical, jazz, or R&B), he was a dynamic performer and teacher.



I will miss you my friend.

I'm proud to have known Kelly as a good friend and colleague for 23 years since moving to Colorado Springs. I will treasure the time we spent target shooting, and the numerous discussions we had together covering many diverse topics. Kelly was a "mensch." He displayed an inner strength and courage during his illness that few people possess. I will miss him dearly.

Although I never had Kelly in class, I heard his tuba juries and played in the Terre Haute Symphony while he was a member. He certainly was someone I remember, and I have been aware of his success since his graduation from ISU. Not many ISU students of his time went on to have performance careers. I am saddened to hear of his death, and I send my condolences to members of his family.



David H. Watkins

Retired French horn and music literature teacher

Indiana State University

Terre Haute, Indiana