KAPA‘A — Mrs. Kamechiyo Kitajima first arrived in Kapa‘a 77 years ago, and she never left. Her husband, Shoyu, was assigned as a minister for the Kapa‘a Jodo Mission, and Kamechiyo arrived with him from Japan in 1932. Friday morning,
KAPA‘A — Mrs. Kamechiyo Kitajima first arrived in Kapa‘a 77 years ago, and she never left.
Her husband, Shoyu, was assigned as a minister for the Kapa‘a Jodo Mission, and Kamechiyo arrived with him from Japan in 1932.
Friday morning, Kamechiyo was visited by three of her four surviving children as she celebrated her 99th birthday with cake, ice cream and a variety of foods with other residents and friends at the Samuel Mahelona Memorial Hospital Long Term Care Unit.
Masa, her oldest son, is a retired Aircraft Maintenance Control for United Airlines in Honolulu. He said, “My mother was the ideal minister’s wife. She’s also the ‘balancing power’ in our family.”
When she and her husband arrived here, Kamechiyo worked as a Japanese School teacher and served as the substitute minister.
In addition to Masa, Violet McMahon, an administrative assistant in California, and Julie and Kuni Kitajima, a body/fender repair specialist for Mercedes Benz in California, made the trip to help their mother celebrate her special day by helping the Mahelona staff distribute refreshments among the patients and friends at the hospital’s auditorium.
Dancers from the Kapa‘a Senior Center where Kamechiyo used to attend, performed for the group in honor of their former member’s birthday. During the time she attended the senior center, Josie Pablo, the recreational director for the Mahelona Long Term Care Unit, said Kamechiyo enjoyed sewing dresses for her friends.
A trip to the Mainland once a year to visit her children was something she looked forward to, Pablo said in a release. On Friday, they came to visit her.
Kamechiyo has 13 grandchildren and 11 great grandchildren from her five children. A son Nori, a dentist in California, was not able to attend the celebration and Yoshie, a daughter from Kaua‘i, was a dental technician before passing several years ago.
An ordained minister, Kamechiyo was assigned to be the minister for the Kapa‘a Jodo Mission in 1938, six years following her arrival to Kapa‘a.
Pablo said Kamechiyo came to live at Mahelona in January 2002, and continues to be active. One of the memorable moments for Masa was being able to see the photo of his mother on the front page of The Garden Island when she experienced her first beach outing with the Mahelona group in 2003.
“When she was able to walk, she would walk around the courtyard area, and when she was no longer able to walk along the railing, she would await the arrival of the staff to walk her in the parallel bars,” Pablo said. “Today, she continues to do pulley exercise and looks forward to attending Buddhist services on Wednesdays. She also enjoys corresponding with her sister in Japan as well as family and friends from the Mainland. She is what one staff member described as the ideal Mahelona resident.”
Pablo attributes Kamechiyo’s longevity to her personal determination.
“She is very quiet and so sweet,” Pablo said. “Even if she does not say much, she is fully aware of what is going on.”
Pablo said the courtyard where Kamechiyo and other residents enjoy walking is currently undergoing a change through the help of one of the Rotary Clubs.
“The concrete has been poured and the new design allows us to continue to hold the annual bon dances for the residents,” Pablo said. “The final touches come on April 25 when the roof gets put on and trees and other plants get planted.”
