Jan
27
We regret to inform you our friend and colleague Keisuke Nozaki passed away after a courageous battle with cancer.
Keisuke was a dedicated member of ILGISA for many years, serving on the Board of Directors from 2013-2014. He would attend and present at every ILGISA Conference, sharing his knowledge and expertise with other GIS professionals from around the state. He was so dedicated, that he even attended and presented at the 2022 Conference during his battle with cancer. We will be forever grateful for the time and effort that Keisuke put into this organization.
At the time of his passing, Keisuke served as GIS Manager of the WIU GIS Center under Director Chad Sperry. Kei came to WIU as a Geography graduate student after having earned his undergraduate degree from the University of South Dakota. His master's thesis, "Spatial and Temporal Analysis of Deer-Vehicle Accidents in Illinois" was supervised by Dr. Samuel Thompson. Upon graduating with his MA (2007) in Geography, Kei began work in the department's GIS Center.
Kei was an integral part of the maturation of the GIS Center as one of the top GIS resources in the state. He worked closely with county and local governments in Western Illinois on a multitude of projects.
Kei was hard-working, kind, and a positive part of the WIU Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Geographic Information Sciences. He leaves an incredible legacy and will be sorely missed. We grieve with his wife Abigail and their two young sons.
Memories from Friends and Colleagues:
“Kei was a friend as well as a coworker. He approached his work as a mission and was invaluable as a GIS Manager for the GIS Center for over 17 years. He served as a mentor to countless students over the years and will be sorely missed.” – Chad Sperry, Director, WIU GIS Center
“Keisuke lit up every room he walked into. He was a positive force that was passionate about his work and educating the future generations. He was always willing to volunteer for whatever job ILGISA needed assistance with. I will miss his annual “What committee should I join this year?” email. My deepest condolences go out to his family and colleagues.” – Megan Galeher, Executive Director, ILGISA
We encourage you to share your memories of Keisuke in the comments of this post.
Share this post:
Gone much too soon, rest in peace Keisuke.
Obituary and service information: https://www.clugston-tibbitts.com/obituary/Keisuke-Nozaki#obituary