Roland Ban Ninomiya

Roland graduated from Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School before attending Middlebury College, where he majored in history. He later received his JD from George Mason University.

After getting his law degree, Roland clerked for the US District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri before moving on to Schmeltzer, Aptaker & Shepard, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco, and finally the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation in DC, where he was a staff attorney for almost 15 years.

Roland loved Japan and spent a number of years there, first at Konan University in Kobe and later as a teacher in the JET program and then a pure student of the language. After retiring, he reconnected with Japanese by completing the entire Duolingo course in record time.

He also became the family historian, on both the Japanese and the German sides, sending out old ships' manifests, news reports, pictures and other reminders he had uncovered of a fascinating past.

Roland is survived by his partner, Jason Della Sala; his sister, Lisa; his brother, Erik; cousins Alexa Sadezky, David and Kevin Purdy, Karen Kodama and Patty Terai; and numerous friends and former colleagues. We miss him terribly.

Instead of flowers, we ask that you consider donating to the following organizations: the National Alliance on Mental Illness (nami.org), Friends of Minidoka (minidoka.org), or the President and Fellows of Middlebury College (middlebury.edu).

The Celebration of life

A gathering to celebrate Roland's life will take place from 2:30 PM on Sunday, June 25 at Lyon Village Community House, 1920 N. Highland St., Arlington, VA 22201. During the gathering there will be time to share memories of Roland. Light fare and drinks will be provided. Please dress casually.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.murphy-funeralhomes.com for the Ninomiya family.