Reiko Watanabe

Reiko Watanabe, was born on April 5th, 1994 in Yonkers, New York. She was the youngest of two siblings, born to Shinichi and Kazuyo Watanabe. She lost her life to a year-long battle with colon cancer but her memories remain strong in the lives of the many people she has touched.

Her funeral service will be held 10:00 am Wednesday, November 23, 2016 at Munden Funeral Home Chapel. Interment will follow at Gethsemane Memorial Park.

Reiko lived in New Jersey for the first eleven years of her life and moved down to Newport, North Carolina through her father’s job at True World Marine in 2005. In NC, she began her journey through middle school and beyond.

Ever since she was little, Reiko had a special gift in the realm of art. She was artistically driven and dreamed of becoming an animator, working for film giants like Disney Pixar, Dreamworks, and Studio Ghibli. She won several art show contests locally throughout her middle school and high school career. To pursue her goal, Reiko has striven for excellence both academically and spiritually. She graduated from West Carteret High School in Morehead City, NC in 2012 at the top 10% of her class and was accepted into Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) in Atlanta, Georgia on a scholarship. During her time in college, she attended church regularly at Atlanta Family Church. There, she became an older sister figure and mentor to many of the younger blessed children in the Atlanta community. Through her deep heart of understanding and strong will in serving others, she was able to connect with the younger brothers and sisters on a very personal level and lead them to a life of love. In 2013, she took a gap year from college to take part in Generation Peace Academy (GPA) to grow internally and find her place with God. Through GPA, Reiko was able to gain lifelong friendships that helped her overcome some of the most challenging obstacles in her life and together with her peers, she developed a strong sense of faith and devotion to our Heavenly Parent.

Reiko was a cheerful and affectionate sister who held an optimistic view on life. Her intrinsic humor and enthusiasm had the power to turn any frown upside down and she attracted people with her sincere and honest personality. Despite losing her life to cancer, Reiko has won at life. A loving, passionate, and inspiring person, she has proven time and time again, that she is truly a daughter of God who has impacted the lives of so many people with hope and happiness.

Reiko is survived by her parents, Shinichi and Kazuyo Watanabe, and her older brother Takayasu Watanabe. Please keep her family in your thoughts and prayers. God bless.

Online condolences may be made at www.mundenfuneralhome.net

Arrangements are by Munden Funeral Home & Crematory, Morehead City, NC.