Michiko Nishimura Ganster, beloved mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, passed peacefully in her home on Tuesday, December 22, 2026, at the age of 93.
Funeral Services will be on Saturday, January 17, 2026, at Maddux-Fuqua-Hinton Home at 6:00 PM with Austyn Roberts officiating. Visitation will be at Maddux-Fuqua-Hinton Funeral Home from 4:00 PM until 6:00 PM on Saturday, January 17, 2026. Maddux-Fuqua-Hinton Funeral Home has been entrusted by the family to handle the arrangements.
She was born on January 16, 1932, in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. In 1954, she bravely emigrated to the United States with her husband, Sylvester Ganster, Jr. of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, beginning a new life grounded in perseverance, family, and quiet strength.
Michiko devoted many years of her professional life to caring for others, working in pediatrics at Jennie Stuart Medical Center beginning in 1968 until her retirement in 1993. Her work reflected her nurturing spirit and lifelong dedication to family and community.
She was the last surviving member of a close-knit group of six Japanese women whose families settled in the Indian Hills neighborhood of Hopkinsville, Kentucky. Throughout their lives, these women remained deeply connected, sharing friendship and mutual support and proudly bringing Japanese culture and traditions to their small Kentucky community.
Her four children survive her: Eddie, Diana, Chuck, and James Ganster; and her six grandchildren: Nisha, Jerod, Chaz, Jenny (Roberts), Ryan, and Devin Ganster. She also leaves behind her cherished great-grandchildren: Seveon Saunders; Avey, Noah, Vandiver, and Ruby Lou Roberts; Charlee and London Ganster; and Zuri and Xander McReynolds.
Michiko found joy in life’s simple and meaningful pleasures. She was an avid fan of American football, took pride in her gardening, and above all, cherished time spent with her children and family. Her resilience, warmth, and devotion will be remembered always by those who knew and loved her.
Her legacy lives on through generations who carry forward her strength, compassion, cultural pride, and enduring love.
In place of flowers, memorial contributions can be made in her memory to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105.
