Takahiro "Tak" Oue

TAKAHIRO OUE In Loving Memory Takahiro "Tak" Oue, 82, passed away on July 4, 2026, at his home in Newnan, Georgia. Born on August 5, 1943, in Kochi, Japan, Tak immigrated to the United States in 1956 at the age of 13. After his war-widowed mother, Fumiko, remarried Earl W. Shepard, a U.S. Army soldier stationed in post-WWII Japan, the family settled near Fort Knox, Kentucky. Tak graduated from Vine Grove High School in 1961 and from Western Kentucky University (WKU) in 1965. While at WKU, he was a member of ROTC, selected to its rifle team, inducted into Scabbard and Blade, and also named to Who's Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges. It was during college that he met the love of his life, Lana O'Banion. They married in 1967. Tak earned a Master of Divinity degree from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, in 1969. That same year, he and Lana were appointed as missionaries with the Foreign Mission Board (now International Mission Board) of the Southern Baptist Convention. They served faithfully in Japan for 47 years until their retirement in 2016. Raised in a Buddhist family in Japan, Tak came to faith in Christ through the witness of a friend while in high school in Kentucky, and his spiritual foundations were laid during his college years at Glendale Baptist Church in Bowling Green, KY. His encounter with and love for Jesus shaped his entire life and drove his purpose, which was to honor the Lord as His humble servant, to glorify Him in all he did, and to endeavor to preach the good news of the gospel to as many as he could. He pastored Big Springs Baptist Church in Big Springs, KY, and Gethsemane Baptist Chapel in Louisville, KY, before he and Lana followed their call back to his native land, planting multiple churches across Japan, including in his hometown of Kochi, later serving as a leader of the Japan Baptist Mission, and then directing the IMB's disaster relief work following the devastating March 11, 2011, Tohoku earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear disaster. His legacy lives on among missionaries, national pastors, churches and Christians he led, discipled, taught, trained, and mentored. In retirement, Tak and Lana remained active in ministry, befriending and sharing the gospel with Japanese people and others in the South Atlanta area. Tak was an active member of Crossroads Church in Newnan. He cherished time with his family, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, and enjoyed photography, travel, coffee, and birdwatching. Tak is survived by his loving wife of 59 years, Lana; sons Richard (Renae) Oue of Kawasaki, Japan, and Jonathan (Brittany) Oue of Simpsonville, SC; brother Shelby (Diane) Shepard of Brandenburg, KY; sister Sheron (Richard) Rowe of Altamonte Springs, FL; seven grandchildren: Benjamin, Jonathan "Jon" (Victoria), Rachel, Caleb, Stephen, Timothy, and Joshua Oue; and three great-grandchildren: Brianna, Gemma, and Josiah. A Celebration of Life will be held on Friday, July 24, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. at Crossroads Church, Thomas Crossroads Campus, 2564 GA-154, Newnan, GA, 30265, with Pastors Ken Adams and John Hobbs officiating. Visitation will be held prior to the service from 12:00 pm to 1:45 pm in the same location. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in Tak's honor to the International Mission Board, SBC, at www.imb.org/give. Condolences can be expressed online at www.mckoon.com. McKoon Funeral Home & Crematory (770) 253-4580

Takahiro "Tak" Oue

August 5, 1943 - July 4, 2026