At the end of October, 2026 we began receiving many donations in honor of Eri Hamamoto. Her colleagues at Roland Corporation reached out to us to insure she would be remembered through the donations from her family, friends and business colleagues.
We also found her obituary, and realized her family was gracious to ask for donations to our organization in lieu of flowers.
Below is her obituary:
It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved Eri, a devoted wife and mother and a cherished friend whose joy, warmth, and kindness touched so many people throughout her life.
Eri was one of those rare people who was simply easy to love. She was joyful, genuine, warm, and kind. Friendship came naturally to her, and wherever she went, people were drawn to her smile and the happiness she brought with her. The many messages from friends across different chapters of her life are a beautiful reflection of how deeply she was loved.
Eri’s greatest love was her family. She met Bardo 25 years ago in Japan, where they were both working. She later made the courageous decision to move to Italy to be with him, and together they began building their life. They married and shared 22 wonderful years together, raising their two sons, Riccardo and Brian.
Eri devoted herself wholeheartedly to her family. She carried much of the responsibility of raising the boys, first in Italy and then in the United States after the family moved there four years ago. She was the heart of their home, always caring for those around her and quietly giving so much of herself to make their lives better. She also shared a special bond with Bardo’s mother, whom she loved and considered a mother of her own.
During her years working in Italy, Eri was deeply appreciated and received recognition for her work, but family and friends were always at the center of her life.
She found happiness in simple and beautiful things. She loved the sea and the beach, swimming or simply relaxing by the water, whether in Italy, the United States, or wherever life took her.
She was also a talented ceramic artist with a special love for frogs. She created beautiful ceramic frogs by hand, each one filled with her creativity and personality. To the people lucky enough to have seen them, they were not simply handmade objects. They were little pieces of art, and little pieces of Eri.
Eri loved to cook and, even more, loved sharing what she made with neighbors and friends. That generosity was simply part of who she was. She found happiness in taking care of people and making the people around her happy.
Above all, Eri loved deeply, and she made sure the people she loved knew it. She showed it through her smile, her attention, her friendship, her devotion to her children, and the countless small ways she cared for the people around her every day.
For 25 years, Eri and Bardo shared a love that began in Japan and became a marriage, a family, two wonderful children, two countries, countless friendships, and a beautiful life together.
Bardo would often look at her and say:
“The most beautiful girl in the world is here with me, and she chose me.”
And somehow, after all those years, their love still had something of the two young people who had met in Japan. They had their nicknames, their little ways of talking to each other, their smiles, and a love that never needed to become serious or formal to be deep.
That was Eri. She brought joy. She loved completely. She gave so much of herself to her family and to the people around her, and she made ordinary life feel special.
Her smile, her laughter, her frogs, her food, her love of the sea, and all the little things that made her Eri will stay with us. And the enormous love she gave us will, too.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Eri’s name to the Foundation for Grieving Children, https://www.foundationforgrievingchildren.org
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We are grateful for contributions from the following individuals:
Ai Sakurai, Gregory Eisenman, Kosuke Ishida, Jeremy Stappard, Becky Pu, Sabrina Motta, Paolo Beconcini, Ellen Gonzales, Maria Letizia Dorsi, Gail Sherman, Federica Sellitri, Jim DeStefano, Mieko & Gustavo Rodriguez, Akiko Ito, Veronic Cocchetti, Marianna D’Aniello, Vedrana Dzinic, Vladimir Atamanschi, Roberta Lucia Savoca, Carolyn Hidalgo, Jessica De Nardo, Roberta Bonza, Liqiong Hu, Beatrice Galbusera, Laura Piva, Flavia Ranaldi, Colin Hanely, Varenka Lorenzi, 11 Anonymous Donations.