KAPA‘A — The 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzle still remains a challenge for Hanako Ishida, but she can easily handle the 700-piece puzzles, says Josie Pablo, recreation director for the Samuel Mahelona Memorial Hospital. “We tried giving her a 1,000-piece puzzle, but
KAPA‘A — The 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzle still remains a challenge for Hanako Ishida, but she can easily handle the 700-piece puzzles, says Josie Pablo, recreation director for the Samuel Mahelona Memorial Hospital.
“We tried giving her a 1,000-piece puzzle, but that’s for next year,” Pablo said at a birthday party for Ishida, who Friday turned 87. To celebrate, the staff and residents at Mahelona Hospital joined Ishida’s family for a celebration in the hospital’s auditorium.
“She doesn’t want any candles,” Pablo said as the room filled with strains of “Happy Birthday.” “She’s just happy everyone was able to come.”
Pablo said Hanako, affectionately called “Aunty Hana,” was born on Jan. 13, 1925, to Kura and Natsu Miyoshi of Kapa‘a. Kura was a “waterworks” person, or “the guy who turned on the (water) pipes when the plantation needed water,” Pablo explained. Natsu was a housewife.
During the course of Kura’s tenure with the plantation, he bought 34 acres of land where he grew sugar cane, eventually selling off 17 acres and keeping the other half to divide among his children.
Hanako was one of five children. At 16, she met Clarence Ishida at the pineapple cannery where she was employed as a pineapple packer and Clarence was a juice tester, Pablo said.
The couple were married, and 66 years later, they were together to celebrate Hanako’s birthday with their three children, a daughter and two sons.
Charlene Quinones retired as the athletic director for Kaua‘i High School. Clarence Jr. is employed at Wilcox Hospital and Clyde Ishida is a dentist in Kapa‘a. Also on hand were recently-wed Emily and Frank Medeiros, Emily being involved with the county’s recycling offices.
Prior to retiring, Hanako was the baker at Kapa‘a High School, her favorite dish being chiffon pies. This made her a natural for cutting the cake, a feat she had done earlier when she and Clarence participated in the Mahelona Hospital wedding celebration for couples who are residents at the Kapa‘a facility.
“When she came here about a year ago, she was calm and quiet,” Pablo said. “She was kind of a homebody. But over the year, she became active and involved in all sorts of activities and socializes with everyone.”
Pablo said Hanako attributes her long life to no smoking or drinking.
• Dennis Fujimoto, photographer and staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 253) or dfujimoto@ thegardenisland.com.
