Masanori "Mike" Kubota, age 74, of Hockessin, passed away peacefully surrounded by his family on Thursday, May 16, 2024.

Masanori was born in Tokyo, Japan, son of the late Nobue (Yamamoto) and Tatsunobu Kubota. Masanori received his Bachelor of Science in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from Meisei University, Japan.

His father Tatsunobu was always fond of the US, and though he ended up staying in Tokyo to inherit the family business, he dreamed of a life in the States. However, Masanori was able to live out one of his father's dreams when he immigrated to Delaware in 1988.

Masanori had a long career at E. I. DuPont de Nemours and Company. After his more than 20-year tenure at DuPont, he started his own technology and engineering company, Kubota Research Associates Inc., where he won many competitive grants from the National Science Foundation and the Department of Defense and received recognition in the composite's community in both the United States and Japan. He was the inventor of the patented P-Wave™ technology, which is a novel process for the joining and assembly of plastics, polymers and other advanced materials, and manufacturing a new generation of high-strength composites as well as numerous other inventions. During his professional career, he was granted seven patents, six of which were with Kubota Research Associates Inc.

Masanori was heavily involved with the Japanese Language School of Philadelphia, where he was a board member for several years. He also played a critical role in starting a high school program at this school, where both of his sons graduated. In his free time, Masanori enjoyed gardening Japanese fruits & vegetables, which was also his mother Nobue's hobby. He loved spending time with his family and friends at his home in Hockessin.

Masanori is survived by his loving wife of 41 years, Ayako "Anna" Kubota; sons, Munetaka "Taka" Kubota and his wife, Catherine "Katie" Kubota, and Alexander Takuma Kubota; grandsons, Masamune Kieran Kubota and Hirotaka Brennan Kubota; brother and sister-in-law, Shinji and Naoko Kubota; and two nieces, and close family friends whom he all loved.

A visitation for Masanori will be held on Thursday, May 23, 2024, at the Mealey Funeral Home, 2509 Limestone Rd, Wilmington, DE, 19808, where friends and family may call from 5 to 5:30pm, with a celebration of life following at 5:30pm. Burial will be held privately.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations in Masanori's name to Delaware Hospice.