Masanori Mishina

November 24, 1934 - July 10, 2026

Dr. Masanori Mishina – “Masa” to friends and colleagues and “Obiichama” to his beloved grandchildren – died peacefully at home on Friday, July 10, 2026. He was 91. Masa was a scientist, nature lover, amateur inventor, and a devoted husband, father, and grandfather. His greatest professional pride was his decades-long contribution as a particle physicist to the Collider Detector at Fermilab (or CDF), which resulted in the global research collaboration’s 1995 discovery of the top quark. His greatest personal pride was undoubtedly his grandkids, whose achievements he freely bragged about any chance he got. Born in Japan, Masa earned undergraduate degrees in engineering (1957) and physics (1959) and a doctoral degree in physics (1964) from Tohoku University, one of the country’s top universities. He then worked as a physicist at the University of Tokyo’s Institute of Nuclear Study. He and his wife, Mizuho, first came to the United States in 1973 so he could work at Brookhaven National Laboratory in Upton, NY. They eventually settled in the Chicagoland area, where Masa worked as a visiting scientist at Fermilab from 1979 until his retirement in 2003. In 1994, he was also appointed professor of physics at Japan’s National Laboratory for High Energy Physics (now known as KEK). Though he came across as quiet and soft-spoken, Masa was a deeply curious, adventurous, and sometimes stubborn man. He was a politics and news junkie who saved old issues of Time magazine to read during his free time. He enjoyed creating all sorts of tools and gadgets, often spending long nights in the basement trying to perfect any number of makeshift devices to make life more efficient. He loved wildlife, be it bears in Yellowstone or butterflies in the backyard, and music from Bach to Guns ‘n’ Roses (and could whistle it all perfectly). Masa picked up rollerblading in his fifties, got scuba certified in his sixties, and skied into his seventies. But he will most be remembered for being kind, loving, and gentle. Masa is survived by his wife of 58 years, Mizuho; son, Yuri; daughter, Mayu, and son-in-law, Shaun; and his grandchildren, Max and Megan. A short memorial service, followed by a visitation, will take place from 1 to 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 25, at Yurs Funeral Home, 1771 W State St., Geneva, IL. For further information call Yurs Funeral Home Geneva 630-232-7337Guest BookShareEmailPrint