Dr. Yoshio Takei

Dr. Yoshio Takei, age 81, of Atlanta passed away peacefully on Wednesday July 17, 2019 with his wife Joyce and their five West Highland terriers by his side. An accomplished neuropathologist,  Dr Takei made many contributions to our understanding of the pathology of diseases of the nervous system. He was born September 19, 1937 in Tokyo, Japan (Denenchofu) and raised there, one of five siblings.  He received his medical training at Tohoku Medical School in Sendai, Japan and moved to New York in the late sixties to study neuropathology.  From 1971-1973, he worked at Yale University  School of Medicine and in 1973, Dr. Takei left Yale to assume the leadership of the Neuropathology Division of the Department of Pathology at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta.  Here, he remained for many years, teaching medical students, and trained numerous pathology, neurology and neurosurgery residents who rotated through his laboratory.  Some of his students went on to be leaders in the field of neuropathology and clinical neuroscience.  Dr. Takei published numerous scientific papers and book chapters on neuropathological manifestations of disease.  After retiring from Emory University, he worked as a medical consultant for various corporations in Japan (Sony, ALFLAC) and as a general consultant in Atlanta, Georgia.

For the last twenty seven years, he and his wife Joyce Leslie Takei, have lived in Atlanta, Georgia, along with their five beloved westies.

He  enjoyed golf and fishing for most of his adult life and in his retirement years; played golf, went on fishing excursions to Florida, attended Atlanta Braves games, and spent time with friends. He published several books of essays in Japan, including those on being a Japanese expat in the States, filled with his signature sense of humor and voracious curiosity.  He also loved shopping at the local farmers market and cooking for family, friends, and his dogs.

He has two children, his son, Kensuke, who lives in Georgia with his wife Rachael, and grandson Piper and a daughter, Nori, who lives in Venice, California with her partner, Jesse.

A celebration of life in Georgia will be held at a  later date,  and one also with family and friends in Tokyo, Japan. In lieu of Flowers, please consider a donation to the Humane Society or anything to do with animals.  Arrangements by Lawson Funeral Home, 4532 Hwy 53, Hoschton, GA 30548, www.lawsonfuneralhome.org, 706-654-0966.