05/15/2026 11:26:57 PMObituaryobituaryMiwako Ichikawa, 58, of Colleyville, a lecturer in Japanese in the Department of World Languages, Literatures and Cultures since 2022, died May 2, 2026. She was born in Koriyama, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, and earned a B.A. in English literature at Nihon University before moving to Texas in 2000 to earn an M.Ed. in educational administration from Texas Christian University. She added an M.A. with a specialization in Japanese language and culture from Middlebury Language Schools in 2022. At UNT, she was the coordinator for elementary and intermediate Japanese. She's remembered as a kind, patient and encouraging teacher, and in 2024, she received the Advisor of the Year Eagle Award as the advisor for the new Japanese Student Association. She also had taught Japanese language and culture at TCU, Brookhaven Community College and Tarrant County College. She was a former vice president of the Japanese Teachers Association of Texas and was named to its board of directors this year. Enjoying sharing Japanese culture with others, she helped with events like the Dallas Japanese Speech Contest and the Fort Worth Japanese Garden Spring Festival. Her life was rooted in her Christian faith and she was actively involved in Cross City Church International and its Spanish ministry, where she served in the Spanish choir, and was a vocalist and worship leader at the Japanese Mission Church of Dallas. A memorial service is scheduled at 11 a.m. May 23 at Cross City Church Chapel, 1000 West Airport Freeway in Euless.