Yutaka Aoki, 61, passed away on Tuesday, February 3, 2026, at his home in Idlewylde, Maryland.

Born on May 24, 1964 in Okaya, Japan, Yutaka was the son of the Hiromitsu and Masae Aoki.

He earned his bachelor's and master's degrees from Kyoto University in Environmental and Sanitary Engineering. He then continued his education in the United States, completing a Master of Science in Toxicology at the University of Washington, and a Master of Health Science in Biostatistics and Doctor of Philosophy degree in Environmental Health Sciences at the Johns Hopkins University, where he met his wife. He had a post-doctoral fellowship at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency working with the late Kathryn Mahaffey. Dr. Aoki taught at the Morgan State University School of Community Health and Policy before joining the National Center for Health Statistics at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He was very proud of his work at CDC analyzing the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, researching environmental exposures and the social determinants of health among vulnerable population groups in the U.S.

He was an amateur sushi chef, he enjoyed playing the recorder and gardening and was fond of hot peppers. Yutaka enjoyed cooking for his family and will be deeply missed as husband and father.

He is survived by his loving family, his wife of 23 years, Mary Fox; his children Ray and Teru Aoki; his mother Masae, sister Tomoko Shijima and her family. He is preceded in death by his late father.

A gathering of family and friends will be held at Peaceful Alternatives Funeral and Cremation Center, P.A., 2325 York Road, Timonium, Maryland 21093 on Saturday February 28 from 10:00 AM until 11:00 AM where a Celebration of Life Memorial Service for Dr. Aoki will begin at 11:00 AM.

Please remember Dr. Aoki by signing his guestbook.  Online condolences may be sent to the family through www.peacefulalternatives.com.