Obituaries

Arata “Al” Kabeshita, 84, passed away on Thursday, February 14, 2019, at Florida Hospital in Daytona Beach, surrounded by his loving family. He was born on August 19, 1934 in Shenyang, China to his Japanese parents, Magoichi and Shigeko Kabeshita, where his father was employed at the Japanese Manchuria Railroad Company. After World War II, his family moved back to Japan and settled in the city of Nagoya. Al was the oldest of 5 children and took his role of eldest son very seriously. The family struggled to settle into a stable life after the war, but his parents emphasized the importance of higher education. He excelled at academics and sports in his youth and was the captain of the basketball team at Asahigaoka High School. He went on to study business at Meiji University in Tokyo, Japan, and graduated in 1957, becoming the first college graduate of his family.

Upon graduation, Al started his career in international trade, which took him to Okinawa and Hong Kong. As he approached his late twenties his father introduced him to Michiko “Michy” Matsuda, and they were married on March 23, 1963. They began their life together in a small apartment in Tokyo where their daughter, Yoshie, and son, Miko were born. After several years, Al was rewarded for his work ethic and business abilities and was chosen by his company to open a branch of Sanko Trading Co. in Chicago in 1967. The family followed him to Chicago in 1968, where their second son, Yutaka, was born. Al successfully grew the import/export business of the Chicago branch, but decided to strike out on his own. He became an entrepreneur and founded two companies, Riken Spring, Inc. (Now ARK Technologies, Inc.) and Altak Inc. in 1980. Always one to do the unexpected, Al became a private pilot in 1981 to more efficiently travel to his customers and he expanded his businesses quickly. ARK Technologies was founded in St. Charles in 1993 and Al and Michy became Wayne, IL residents in 1994. He was President and CEO, then Chairman of ARK and Altak until 2015. Al and Michy became U.S. citizens in 1998, and he was awarded “The Order of the Rising Sun” by the Emperor Akihito of Japan in 2010 in recognition of his accomplishments to promote business and community relations between Japan and the United States. Al was an active member of Baker Memorial United Methodist Church in St. Charles. He was also involved in the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and served as a Director and Advisor.

Al was enthusiastic in everything he did, and his love of challenges was reflected in the variety of his interests. In addition to getting a private pilot license, he was an avid golfer, enjoyed boating, traveled the world, taught himself to play the violin, wrote his autobiography and was a sports enthusiast. He leaves his legacy of living the American Dream to all that were fortunate to know him.

He is survived by his devoted wife Michy, daughter Yoshie (Brian), sons Miko (Tracy), Yutaka (Tomo) and 8 grandchildren – Natalie, Emily, Lena, Julia, Joe, Ann, Mae, Ken.

Family and friends will gather for a visitation from 4:00 – 8:00 P.M., Friday, February 22, at Yurs Funeral Home in St. Charles, 405 East Main St . (Comer of Rt. 64 and Rt. 25) St. Charles, Illinois 60174.

A funeral service will be held at 10:00 A.M., Saturday, February 23, at Baker Memorial United Methodist Church 307 Cedar Avenue, St. Charles, Illinois 60174. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in memory of Al to Baker Memorial United Methodist Church. For more information, please call Yurs Funeral Home of St. Charles at 630-584-0060 or at yursfuneralhomes.com .

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