Obituaries for May 8, 2016

Obituaries for May 8, 2016

Beato Laureta Trinidad Sr.

Beato Laureta Trinidad Sr. of Kalaheo passed away in Garden Isle Health Care on April 18, 2016, at the age of 87. He was born in Bangued, Abra, Philippines, on Aug. 22, 1928, and retired from Lihue Airport as a security guard.

Beato is survived by his wife, Magdalena Trinidad; two sons, Beato (Gloria) Trinidad Jr., Caesar (Lani) Trinidad; three daughters, Emma Sacdalan, Arlene Turqueza, Juliet Trinidad; numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

A celebration of his life will be held on Tuesday, May 17, 2016, at Holy Cross Church with visitation from 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. and Mass celebrated at 10 a.m. Burial will follow at Kauai Memorial Gardens.

Kauai Memorial Gardens and Funeral Home assisted the Trinidad family with arrangements.

Thelma Marie Cooper

Our mother passed away on March 9, 2016. She was surrounded by her children, she was in her home, and her leave was peaceful. She was 87 years of age.

Mom is survived by five children. Beginning with the eldest, we are: Edward “Eddie” Longsdorf, Jackie Longsdorf Graessle, Nanette Cooper, Linda Longsdorf Askin and John Cooper (aka “Little John”); sons-in-law Ward Graessle and Bill Askin and daughter-in-law Mary Cooper; grandchildren from Linda and Little John: Stephanie Bobian Bock (spouse: Jeremy Bock), Shannon Bobian Hill, Stephen Bobian (aka “Little Stephen”), Delaney, Emma, Grant and Makani Kai Cooper; great-grandchildren Owenn and Liham Bock, Maile and Roman Hill, and Layla Bobian. Our mother also claimed nieces and nephews Vicky and Freddy Roberts, David and Jeanne Cooper, and her daughters’ lifelong friends Maggie Shannon and Debbie Jardine, as part of her clan.

Mother was the eldest of six children (followed by Don, Ruth, Larry, Mike and Little Joe) born to Donald and Merle Place of Marietta, Ohio. She is survived only by Mike and Larry Place of Ohio and California, respectively. They were raised on a small farm in Cutler, Ohio. Being the eldest, most of the childcare duties fell to Mom. By all accounts, she was as tender and loving to her siblings as she was to her own children — with one apparent difference: Her cooking had improved by the time she had her own children.

She recently disclosed that, as a child, she used to make Aunt Ruth eat mud pies. At 87 years of age, she giggled at the memory and made no pretense of remorse. Uncle Larry sent Mother birthday cards every year and always shared something funny. I loved those cards and so Mom saved them for me. I recently came across one that said, “I remember the mud pies you and Ruth mixed with egg and fed to me.” We find it a bit ironic that she later owned a restaurant where the special was her homemade pies. She and Dad eventually sold the restaurant but an off-shoot was their new business called “Thelma’s Pies,” which were sold to other restaurants.

During her high school years, she was a live-in nanny for a wealthy family. It was here that she learned to dress elegantly, use make-up properly, the absolute requirement of accessorizing (from which we girls inherited an expensive and intractable love of jewelry), and how to stand up straight and appreciate the gift of her 5’10” frame. (In the 1960s, Mom dwarfed her second husband, who topped off at 5’7”, with her six-inch heels and beehive hairdo. She was unapologetic and he was unfazed.)

After her first marriage ended, Mother found her way to Pacific Grove, California. She was hired as a waitress in the coffee shop of Holman’s Department Store. It was there, in 1961, that she met her life-long friend and soul-mate, Bernice. We kids spent many hours on the beach with the two of them. They were so beautiful and magnetic, all shiny and brown with their suntan oil and perfect hair and cans of beer and laughter. When Mom had to come to our schools, it was a given that Bernice went with her. One of Linda’s clearest memories is the “click, click” of their high heels in the hall. Other kids were mesmerized at their beauty. And we felt proud, and not a little arrogant.

In 1964, Mother met and married John Cooper. Soon after, Bernice met and married Chris Reddish. Both men seemed to understand that the friends came as a set. And they never quite made it into the sanctum that was their friendship.

The Reddishes moved to Oregon. Our newly blended family ended up in Hawaii where we children came of age in a place we loved and where we stayed long enough to make deep and lasting friendships. My mother was especially close to Colette (Lum) Ako and the late Billy and “Mama” Brown. They often gathered at a local watering hole called the Bayview Inn where Mahi Beamer played music. Back then it was owned by Donald Lum, who never failed to brighten her day.

In the mid-1970s, Mom and Dad moved to the island of Kauai and opened a restaurant in the old Hanalei Rice Mill (remember the pies?) called The Hanalei Shell House, a welcoming gathering place for locals and tourists alike. Mother’s beloved friends included Corkie, Frenchie, Edie, Gladys and Vera. There was plenty kanikapila across the street at Tahiti Nui. They lived in front of Pine Trees beach for nearly 20 years. It had an outside shower and at any given time, one could see someone coming in from the beach to rinse off, especially in the winter when the surf was big. They were welcome to it. That’s the kind of community it was. In 1992, Hurricane Iniki devastated the island, forcing them to find a more affordable place to retire. Mom chose Brookings, Oregon, because that is where Bernice lived and they had been apart for too long. They had about 20 more years together.

Our mother was very shy. But with friends and family she was fun, affectionate, generous, interested and engaged. She had a wild and hearty laugh and a bawdy sense of humor. All of us kids remember, as we went to bed, hearing the familiar sound of, “Heeerrrre’s Johnnnny!” and then Mother’s laughter rattling the walls for the next hour and a half. We would lie awake and listen to it, laughing at her laughing. She was an accomplished seamstress — we wore tailored clothing to school even though we had very little money. She was the best cook. She was always happy to see us when we passed through her orbit even if only an hour had elapsed since her last sighting. She loved us during our most ugly moments. She was a protector and unapologetically biased when it came to her children.

Three of her girls reached adolescence during the 1970s, a period of unparalleled social change. Rather than resisting us, she sought to understand our changing values and mores. Looking back, I think this must have been very lonely for her at times. Through the grit of our adolescence — physical changes, emotional upheaval, first loves, heartbreak, school problems and family conflict, she remained our one constant. She made sure there were breadcrumbs in the forest and we always found our way back to her. We were never afraid of her. We could tell her anything. Her arms were a gathering place and her hugs were unrestrained, pregnant with love. I did not know, when she last hugged me, that she would soon lose the strength to ever hug with such abandon and fullness again, and so I do not remember her last good hug. And my grief is deepest when I think of this.

When Bernice died, she did not want a service. And so, of course, neither did Mother. She asked that some of her ashes be scattered in Oregon, Hawaii and Florida by the children who live there. Because the continued existence of public libraries is threatened, she would be thrilled if folks made donations to her beloved Chetco Community Public Library, 405 Alder Street, Brookings, OR 97415.

Eddie has decided, after being back in Hawaii for a few months, to stay. He always missed Hawaii. Ward and I, childless by design, feel like we won the sweepstakes. We highly recommend waiting until you are in your 60s to have a child.

When she had taken her final breath, we asked Eddie if he wanted to say anything. He gently took her hand and said, “Well Mother, now you’re gone. There’s nothing left, but your spirits live on. We love you. And we will miss you. Amen.” Amen indeed.

Harumi Yamaguchi Nanbu

Harumi Yamaguchi Nanbu of Lihue passed away in Wilcox Memorial Hospital on April 30, 2016, at the age of 92. She was born on Kauai on April 10, 1924, and retired as a bartendress with Hideaway Bar.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Takeshi Nanbu; parents, Ruitaro and Miyoshi Yamaguchi; siblings, Thomas Yamaguchi, Kaoru Sato, Yoshiharu “Yoko” Yamaguchi, Noboru “Nobo” Yamaguchi and May Yamaguchi.

Harumi is survived by two sons, Glenn (Jeanne) Nanbu of Oahu, Irvin Nanbu of Lihue; grandchildren, Janeen Aiko Nanbu and Nolen Nanbu of Las Vegas; sister, Ellen Okada of California; numerous nieces and nephews.

A private graveside service will be held at a later date. The family graciously declines any flowers and Koden.

Kauai Memorial Gardens & Funeral Home assisted the Nanbu family with arrangements.

Takeshi Matsuda

Takeshi Matsuda of Lihue passed away in Garden Isle Health Care on April 27, 2016, at the age of 90. He was born in Waimea, Kauai, Hawaii on April 12, 2016, and retired from the State of Hawaii Department of Transportation Highways Division as a bridge maintenance supervisor.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Katherine Matsuda.

Takeshi is survived by two sons, Steven Matsuda and Randall Matsuda; one daughter, Lorna (Claude) Hebaru; five grandchildren, four great-grandchildren; one brother, Robert “To” (Nancy) Matsuda; numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.

A celebration of his life will be held on Saturday, May 14, 2016, at Lihue Hongwanji Mission with visitation from 3 p.m. and services beginning at 4 p.m.

Family requests casual attire.

Kauai Memorial Gardens & Funeral Home assisted the Matsuda family with arrangements.

Donna Lou Dalesandro

Donna Lou Dalesandro, 63, of Wailua, Kauai, went to the Lord on June 17, 2015, in Honolulu. She was born in Chicago, Illinois, but lived in Hawaii the majority of her life. She was a well-known artist who studied at The Illinois Institute of Art — Chicago. She is survived by her husband, Geoffrey Townsend, step-daughter, Tiana Townsend; sister, Lynn Shade and husband, John Shade; brother Michael Dalesandro and wife Stacey.

Memorial services and celebration of life will be held at Donna’s residence, 6522 Kaahele St., Kapaa, Kauai. Celebration of Life begins at 12 noon on May 14, 2016. A scattering of ashes ceremony will be held.

All are welcome. Geoff Townsend can be reached at: 808-635-7909 or pcgeff@gmail.com.

Aloha attire requested. Leis welcome. Donations are welcome.