Kiyoshi Tsuji

Kiyoshi Tsuji of Kalamazoo, Michigan, passed away at 81 years of age on June 30th, 2012. He was born in 1931, the fifth and youngest child among his two brothers and two sisters. He was raised by his parents, Takeshiro an ophthalmologist and Sai Tsuji, in Fushimi, Japan. Kiyoshi graduated from Kyoto University with a degree in horticulture in March of 1954. Afterwards, he immigrated to the U.S., where he earned his Master's and Ph. D in the food sciences from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. In 1958, he married Ruriko, his wife of 54 years, whom he dearly loved and cherished. Together they planted their roots here, raising a family in the Kalamazoo area and later becoming American citizens. Kiyoshi spent most of his career as a pharmaceutical research scientist at The Upjohn Company, where he worked for 30 years. During that time, he published more than 100 scientific papers and co-authored a three-volume book on analysis of therapeutic agents. He was the recipient of the following awards: the William E. Upjohn Award, the Pioneer in Laboratory Robotics Award, the Nicholas Copernicus Award, and the Upjohn Award for Achievement in Science and Medicine. Kiyoshi greatly enjoyed travelling. He often camped with his family over the summers in the Rockies and southwest, and he went to many different countries for conferences and vacations, seeing such sights as the Cape of Good Hope, Angkor Wat, Machu Picchu, the Himalayas, and the Galapagos Islands. He is survived by his wife Ruriko, their three children Shoko, Hiroshi, and Jun and six grandchildren Sarah, Michelle, Katie, Jackson, Haley, and Tyler. Friends may visit with the family from 6-8 PM on Tuesday at Langeland Family Funeral Homes, Westside Chapel, 3926 S. 9th Street.