Hiroko Manabe

Hiroko Manabe, 92, passed away on May 15, 2026, at Normandy Farms Estates, close to the home in Blue Bell where she long resided.

Born on September 21, 1933, in Kyoto, Japan, Hiroko was the oldest of three daughters of Kōe and Tazue Sumikawa. Her stoic outlook and her open-minded, humorous, and can-do spirit carried her through the deprivations of wartime childhood and throughout the rest of her life.

Hiroko saw life as a great adventure. She graduated from the prestigious Kyoto University, when there were only twenty women in her class. She embraced emigrating to the US in 1966, then to India in 1982. She made friends wherever she went, and people loved her.

She was a homemaker while maintaining an active life in the community that contributed to society in multiple ways. She co-translated several Japanese history books into English, including A Journey across the World to Take Children Home (2018) and The Eight Female Emperors of Japan (2018). She taught Japanese at institutions including Jawaharlal Nehru University (Delhi), Drexel University, Villanova University, and the Japanese Language School of Philadelphia. She led and participated in volunteer activities in India, where she served as vice president of the Japanese Women’s Society of New Delhi.

Music was her abiding passion. After learning to play recorder in her 50s, she played it for three decades with the Gracenotes group and was a long-time member of the Philadelphia Recorder Society. She was also an avid bridge player and skillful painter.

But what Hiroko would most be remembered by is her vast reserves of warmth, patience, and compassion—her willingness to try to understand people and circumstances far removed from her Japanese upbringing. She was a mother, grandmother, daughter, aunt, and loyal friend to many who responded to the kindness expressed in her smile.

Hiroko is survived by her husband of 70 years, Tomonobu Manabe; two daughters, Mihoko (Edward) and Noriko (Nigel); one son, Taro (Carolann); and one grandchild, Elliot.

In accordance with Hiroko’s wishes, a private family gathering will be held on May 19, 2026, at Shaeff-Myers Funeral Home, followed by interment at Whitemarsh Memorial Park, both in Ambler.