11/06/2025
11月号には、悲しいお知らせがあります。
不動産コラムで皆さんにお馴染みのカオリ・シモダ・ゲラさんが、10月22日にお亡くなりになりました。ラスベガスで長く不動産エージェントとしてご活躍されてきました。63歳でした。
「優しい」「寛大」「思いやりがある」「穏やか」――突然の訃報に触れた人々が思い出すのはいつも満面の笑顔のカオリさんです。責任感が強く聡明で粘り強く、揺るぎない信念と深い愛情を併せ持つ女性でした。東京で生まれ育ち、1980 年に東海大学文学部史学科を卒業。専攻はイギリス史。卒業後、父親が経営する新聞社で放送ジャーナリズムの道へと進みました。国際的な調査報道記者を目指して英語を学び始めた矢先、1986 年5 月、相鉄線の車内でアメリカ海軍兵士デイヴィッド・ゲラ氏と出会います。彼女はその出会いを「一目惚れだった」とよく語っていました。1987 年、彼の赴任に伴い、まだ英語も十分に話せないまま、愛と勇気を胸に単身渡米。新しい人生の始まりでした。結婚後は手描きの木製クラフト販売など様々な仕事に従事。夫の退役後、ラスベガスに定住。日本人旅行者をサポートする Las Vegas VIP Service 社で働き、十数年にわたり誠実な仕事ぶりで信頼を集めました。その後会計学を学び、2002 年、自宅を売却した経験をきっかけに不動産業の道に進み、2004 年にコールドウェル・バンカー・プレミア・リアルティ社の公認エージェントとなりました。以来22 年以上、誠実な仕事ぶりと温かな人柄で地域社会に貢献し、常に社内上位25％の成績を維持。軍人家族や移民、経済的に困難な人々を支援することを自らの使命としていました。カオリさんは自らを「ワーカホリック」と呼び、休みの日でもメールや電話、顧客対応を欠かさない努力家で、公私にわたり「人の幸せ」を第一に考える人でした。趣味は料理や会話、テレビドラマの鑑賞。中国の時代劇や韓国の復讐劇、日本の番組を好み、コーヒーと動物を愛し、ショッピングを楽しみました。唯一苦手だったのは「土」。地面にテントというキャンプだけは苦手だったといいます。また、日本人としての誇りを生涯忘れず、2016 年から「絆ジャパニーズ・ソサエティ」のボードメンバーとしてボランティア活動を続け、特に春祭りの企画・運営には欠かせない存在で、ラスベガスの日本人コミュニティの一員として、日本文化を広め、人々をつなぐ架け橋となっていました。遺族は、結婚38 年の夫デイヴィッド・ゲラ氏、一人娘ジェシカ・シモダ・ゲラさん、母のシモダノブコさん、姉のフジタエミさん、甥姪の皆さんです。動物家族は愛犬コムギとキキック、愛鳥ニッキ、鶏のローズ、ブランシュ、ソフィア、ドロシー、そして砂漠のリクガメ、ミスタータートルたちがいます。告別式はラスベガスのセレニティ葬儀場（1140 Almond Tree Ln, Unit 306, Las VegasNV）にて11 月14 日（金）午前9 時より執り行われ、ボルダーシティ退役軍人墓地（1900Veterans Memorial Dr., Boulder City NV）にて埋葬の後、コールドウェル・バンカー社グリーンバレー支店（2635 St. Rose Pkwy #200, Henderson NV）にてレセプションが予定されています。カオリさんは、長い間ラスベガスジャパンタイムズの不動産コラムに執筆し、その温かさと信念、そして場を明るくする笑顔で多くの人々に愛されました。彼女の優しさと前向きな生き方は、数えきれないほどの人生に影響を与えました。その人生は、私たちに「大胆に生きること」「深く愛すること」「惜しみなく与えること」の大切さを教えてくれます。数々の試練を超え、自らの経験と努力で築き上げた豊かな人生——それが、カオリ・シモダ・ゲラさんという一人の女性の物語です。彼女の光は今も、残された思い出と教えの中で輝き続けています。
カオリさんのご冥福を心よりお祈り申し上げます。
“Kind.” “Generous.” “Thoughtful.” “Sweet.” These are just a few of the words people used to describe Kaori Shimoda Guerra upon learning of her sudden passing. While these terms are true, those closest to her also knew Kaori as a balanced woman—savvy, resilient, persistent, and deeply protective. Above all, she was extraordinary.
Kaori passed away on Wednesday, October 22, 2025, in the presence of her only child, Jessica Shimoda Guerra. She was 63 years old.
Kaori’s life was a masterclass in perseverance, reinvention, and purpose. Born and raised in Tokyo, Japan, she graduated from Tokai University in 1980 with a degree in History, specializing in English history. Though she originally planned to become a teacher, she quickly realized the classroom wasn’t her calling and pivoted to broadcast journalism at her father’s newspaper company. Hoping to become an international investigative journalist, she began learning English from a British officer stationed in Japan. Her life’s course, however, changed forever when she met David Guerra, a U.S. Navy sailor, on the Sotetsu train line in May 1986—a meeting she always described as “love at first sight.”
When David received orders to leave Japan, Kaori made the bold decision to follow him to a country she had never seen and whose language she barely spoke. She immigrated to the United States in 1987, beginning a new life built on courage and love.
In the early years of their marriage, Kaori took on various jobs, including selling hand-painted wood crafts at local fairs. After David’s separation from the Navy, the couple settled in Las Vegas, Nevada, where Kaori worked for Las Vegas VIP Service, assisting Japanese clients in tourism. After more than a decade of service, she left to care for her family and study accounting.
In 2002, while selling her own home, Kaori discovered her true professional passion: real estate. She quickly fell in love with “house hunting” and helping others find not just a house, but a home. By 2004, she was a licensed Realtor with Coldwell Banker Premier Realty, where she served the Las Vegas community for over 22 years. Known for her tireless work ethic, integrity, and warmth, Kaori consistently ranked among the top 25% of her company and earned numerous awards. Yet, her greatest satisfaction came from helping people—especially military families, immigrants, and those with limited means—find stability and joy in homeownership. Those that knew her, knew Kaori was a self-described “workaholic,“ who even spent her spare time answering emails, taking phone calls, and scheduling appointments.
Outside of work, Kaori cherished good meals and lively conversations with family, friends, and clients alike. She had a rare gift for connection, where strangers quickly felt like family. Her hobbies also included doing her laundry, reorganizing her home (especially her closet and desk), watching TV dramas—particularly Chinese period epics, Korean revenge stories, and Japanese shows—and spending quiet time with her husband and daughter. She loved coffee, animals, and shopping, but notoriously did not like camping (or, as she would have put it, “anything with dirt”).
Though she lived most of her life in Las Vegas, Kaori remained deeply proud of her Japanese heritage. Since 2016, she volunteered with the Kizuna Japanese Society, finding joy in community with other Japanese immigrants and sharing her culture with the broader Las Vegas community.
Kaori is survived by her husband of 38 years, David Guerra, her daughter, Jessica Shimoda Guerra, her mother, Nobuko Shimoda, her sister, Megumi Fujita, and her nieces and nephews. Kaori is also survived by her pets: Komugi, the golden-doodle; Kikik, the micromini labradoodle; Nikki, the African grey parrot; the chickens – Rose, Blanche, Sophia, and Dorothy (aka “the Golden Girls”); and Mr. Turtle, the desert tortoise.
A viewing and service is being held at Serenity Funeral Home in Las Vegas, Nevada, starting at 9:00A.M., with burial services taking place at the Veteran’s Cemetery in Boulder City, Nevada, followed by a reception with drinks and snacks at Coldwell Banker’s Green Valley office.
Many remember Kaori for her warmth, determination, and the joy she brought into every room she entered. Her kindness and positivity touched countless lives, and her legacy of love, hard work, and compassion continue to live on in all who knew her. However, Kaori’s journey also reminds us to live boldly, love deeply, and give generously. Despite every obstacle, she turned her experiences, skills, and opportunities into a full-filling life uniquely her own. While she is no longer with us, her light continues to shine through the memories, stories, and lessons she leaves behind.
