We gratefully remember the life of Ryohei Kawano, who passed away on July 29, 2026, at the age of 85. Ryohei was born in Utsunomiya, Tochigi-ken, Japan on March 20, 1941, as the second son of Koji and Tome Kawano.

Ryohei was a supportive husband, caring father, kind brother, and beloved grandfather. He and his wife, Ryoko Kitajima, married in 1966 and celebrated 60 years of marriage together. Ryohei is survived by his wife, Ryoko; their two children and spouses: Yunike (Ichibei) Honda, and Naomi (Randy) Suzuki; his sisters: Kayoko, Fumie, and Teruko; and his nine grandchildren: Timothy, Jonathan (Abigail), Stephen, Keileina, and Philip Honda, and Alyssa, Joshua, Dylan, and Owen Suzuki.

Ryohei was a faithful minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ for 63 years. He served as a pastor in the Pacific Coast Japanese Conference (PCJC): South Bay Free Methodist Church for 22 years and Mission Valley Free Methodist Church for 11 years. After retiring from the PCJC, Ryohei returned to Japan to pastor for three more years, and served as the chaplain of the Nikko Olive No Sato Prayer Retreat Center for two years. He then returned to the U.S. and ministered for eight additional years: Union Church of Los Angeles and Centenary United Methodist Church. He received an Honorary Doctorate of Divinity in 2011 for his faithful ministry of nearly 50 years at that time. Ryohei’s passion for preaching continued until the Lord called him to his heavenly home.

A celebration of Ryohei’s life will be held at Mission Valley Free Methodist Church on Saturday, August 15 with a viewing at 10:15 AM, followed by a funeral service at 11:00 AM. Black formal attire is not necessary. In lieu of flowers, please donate to the Anchor South Bay Church (Building Fund).