Tag: centenarian

  • She’s Such a Positive Crackerjack

    Having a very strict father was the key to the life of Jeanette S. Akamine because she has always been very independent. She said that his teachings were always with a positive attitude.

    Jeanette models a colorful traditional costume at this
    year’s Okinawan Festival. PC: One Moment in Time
    Photography

    She graduated from St. Francis Convent, then helped support the family’s Nu‘uanu Avenue Myogaya Restaurant in the kitchen. Jeanette completed beauty school at the age of 40, with night classes on fashion at the UH, then opened her own beauty shop called “J’s Waikiki Beauty Salon.” In order for her clients to use the only parking stall, Jeanette walked three miles to and from home. As of today, Jeanette still cuts hair for the family and keeps her license active.

    Turning 100 on Nov. 19, 2024, Jeanette being the oldest of 10 children, seven still surviving today, attributes her longevity to a caring and loving family, plus eating fruits and vegetables.

    A typical day in Jeanette’s life is to wake up about 6am, exercise, meditate and have breakfast as she reads the newspaper. She still prepares her own food for lunch and dinner too. Karaoke is every Friday at the Lanakila Multi-Purpose Center and Hanafuda on Thursday at the Windward Mall. I want to be like this vibrant “crackerjack.”

    If you know someone celebrating their centenarian year, contact Sherry: 808-722-8487, email sgoyallc@aol.com.

    Having a very strict father was the key to the life of Jeanette S. Akamine because she has always been very independent. She said that his teachings were always with a positive attitude. She graduated from St. Francis Convent, then helped support the family’s Nu‘uanu Avenue Myogaya Restaurant in the kitchen. Jeanette completed beauty school…

  • Memories Don’t Fade

    Hidenobu Hiyane
    Hidenobu Hiyane

    Born in October 1918 in Kapa‘a, Hidenobu Hiyane remembers growing up on Kaua‘i and graduating from McKinley High School in 1937. He served with the 100th Battalion as a radio operator, and was very lucky while serving in Europe and France: An officer using the radio was shot in the head and killed while standing next to him, and a mortar shell that fell next to him didn’t explode.

    Hidenobu remembers going to Chicago on the GI Bill to learn more about the radio at a technical school. While there, he met and married a Waipahu woman, both returning home to be with her dying mother. Two daughters were born in Hawai‘i, and he has three grandsons living in California. Hidenobu worked for the Army as an Electronic Maintenance/Radio Operator for 30 years and repaired donated electrical items at the Salvation Army for 12.

    Besides being very lucky, he does not take any medication nor wear glasses. He said that for many years he has cut and blended aloe leaves with water and drinks it every day. He also eats leaves from a moringa tree in a variety of dishes.

    To keep his mind sharp, Hidenobu does Word Search puzzles and listens on his ham radio, deciphering Morse code from all over the world. His memory amazes me, as he said he left the Army on April 13, 1945, the day after Franklin D. Roosevelt died.

    Born in October 1918 in Kapa‘a, Hidenobu Hiyane remembers growing up on Kaua‘i and graduating from McKinley High School in 1937. He served with the 100th Battalion as a radio operator, and was very lucky while serving in Europe and France: An officer using the radio was shot in the head and killed while standing…

  • A Very Active Centenarian

    Edward Jurkens, 100 yrs. old

    Hawai‘i is fortunate to be the home of many centenarians, and I love writing about them. Most recently, I spent time with Edward Jurkens, who celebrated his 100th birthday on December 23, 2017. We planned to talk at his apartment then go to lunch. On the way there, I thought, “Where should I park so I can drive him somewhere?”

    Edward was born and raised in Illinois, met his wife, Frances, in the second grade, married in 1944, had three daughters, and he’s very proud of his three grandsons, three granddaughters, nine great-granddaughters and one great-grandson.

    Edward’s memory is so good we chatted about everything, from his college days at Knox College — where he got free tuition as a hurdle and high jump athlete and received his pilot’s license before signing up with the Air Force — to retiring from Hawai‘i’s CINCPAC in July 1968. Since retirement, he has had some fun and not-so-fun jobs, but found his love was in volunteering: for AARP giving driving lessons to seniors for 22 years, 13 years for the Service Core of Retired Executives, and looking after the “petting zoo” at Waikīkī Aquarium. Now, on Mondays, he volunteers at the Pacific Aviation Museum.

    He credits his post-retirement longevity to all the walking he did when golfing up through his 90s, walking around Ala Moana and now on the grassy area of his condominium, eating salads, reading a lot, doing Sudoku, and exercising his arms with dumbbells as he watches TV.

    For lunch, he walked to and from the restaurant near his condominium, while I scurried to keep up!

    Hawai‘i is fortunate to be the home of many centenarians, and I love writing about them. Most recently, I spent time with Edward Jurkens, who celebrated his 100th birthday on December 23, 2017. We planned to talk at his apartment then go to lunch. On the way there, I thought, “Where should I park so…

  • Memories from the Ewa Queen

    Born in ‘Ewa to plantation workers, Sadie (Yasui) Kaya had the best childhood ever. Her memory of growing up there is so strong today, at the age of 103, that she sang a childhood song to me: “Ewa is our happy home. Yes, yes, oh yes. Never from her shall we roam. No, no, oh no. Oh how happy now are we, when we see the DPD. Soon the waters we shall see. Sing, children, sing.”

    Sadie, her four brothers and a sister enjoyed ‘Ewa’s playgrounds, gyms and baseball fields. Like her brothers, Sadie was quite an athlete. Her sister Lorraine owned the Ewa Tavern with husband Eddie, who Sadie said was a great cook. This well-known restaurant had patrons coming from as far as Barbers Point for delicious meals and pies.

    Sadie married and worked at the Ewa School’s cafeteria on Renton Road. She told me that the “Lincoln, the Frontiersman” statue was donated by Katherine Burke. My research showed Katherine McIntosh Burke was a teacher and principal there from 1919 to 1927. The statue was unveiled on February 12, 1944 and a celebration is held every year on Lincoln’s birthday in front of it.

    Her great memories of ‘Ewa make Sadie very happy. She is called the “Ewa Queen” by her friends and the staff of the Care Center of Honolulu. I thanked her for sharing those memories, which she said “many Ewa people will remember too.”

    Stories for and about seniors and their caregivers are always worth sharing, such as 100th birthday announcements. Send stories and photos to Sherry Goya.
    808-722-8487 | sgoyallc@aol.com

    Born in ‘Ewa to plantation workers, Sadie Kaya had the best childhood ever. Her memory of growing up there is so strong today, at the age of 103, that she sang a childhood song to me: “Ewa is our happy home. Yes, yes, oh yes. Never from her shall we roam. No, no, oh no.…

  • The Life of a Centenarian

    Turning 100 is no small feat, but Mrs. Lenora Cho made it look easy when she officially became a centenarian in 2017. Lenora, a small-town girl from back East, found ways to stay active early on in life: in high school, she played basketball and softball.

    Upon graduating high school, Lenora took a beautician course, but joined the Army when she was in her 20s, becoming one of the 140,000 women who served and proved vital to the war efforts.

    After another female soldier had to return to the mainland from Hawai‘i when they were en route to Japan, Lenora stayed to do clerical work at Fort Shafter. That is where she met her husband, David Cho, of whom she says with a smile, “He was my boss.” They were married at the Fort Shafter Chapel.

    Lenora’s fondest memories are from serving in the military and the time she spent with her husband. Today, she enjoys staying active by doing regular exercise at her home at Arcadia, where she is honored every Veterans Day for her service to our country.

    To celebrate her milestone 100th birthday last year, Lenora’s family came from the East Coast and now a blanket of photos from that wonderful occasion hangs proudly in her room.

    Turning 100 is no small feat, but Mrs. Lenora Cho made it look easy when she officially became a centenarian in 2017. Lenora, a small-town girl from back East, found ways to stay active early on in life: in high school, she played basketball and softball.

  • Healthy Habits of a Centenarian

    Yukiko Murata, who will turn 102 in March, has a sharp wit and sunny outlook on life. To stay healthy, she eats fresh foods, takes classes at the University of Hawai‘i and plays hanafuda (Japanese card game) every Thursday at the Lanakila Senior Center, together with her daughter, Joanne Murata, and son-in-law, James Kramer. Yukiko shared advice with Generations Magazine:

    What’s your secret to a long life?

    I laugh too much. It just comes naturally to me. Every day is another day. Today and tomorrow might be another day. It may be good or bad. You don’t know. Every day is something you look forward to, and I think I enjoy that. I’m 101. Next thing you know, I’m going to be 102.

    What are your healthy habits?

    I eat anything, but I don’t eat too much sugar. I don’t get a mai tai. I say, don’t drink orange juice from a can. Eat a fresh orange. It’s juicy.

    What advice do you have for younger generations?

    Be kind to everybody. You have to be forceful, too, because times are different. Take the time to teach your children. Take the time to be a lifelong learner. Whatever you learn is for your own good. You’ll be happy, really happy.

    What are your goals for 2018?

    I’m going to Vegas! If somebody says, ‘Hey Mom, you’re going to go to Vegas,’ you’re not going to say, ‘What?’ You’ll say, ‘Let’s go next week.’ I’m really lucky, health-wise. I never use a cane, yet. I can walk. I catch The Bus, walk UH campus and go to class. (Agriculture and gardening classes). It’s a good feeling. The younger students call me Grandma.

    ukiko Murata, who will turn 102 in March, has a sharp wit and sunny outlook on life. To stay healthy, she eats fresh foods, takes classes at the University of Hawai‘i and plays hanafuda (Japanese card game) every Thursday at the Lanakila Senior Center, together with her daughter, Joanne Murata, and son-in-law, James Kramer. Yukiko…

  • You’re The Love Of My Century

    Generations Magazine -You’re The Love Of My Century - Image 01“I always tease him that I am the oldest,” says Adele Rickstrew, wife of Vernon. “And he laughs.” They are Hawaii Kai Retirement Community’s 100 years old couple.

    She was born in Nevada on June 1913, and he in Colorado on February 1914. Both came from large families, did chores and helped with younger siblings. Recreation was dancing, ice hockey and horseback riding. “Crack shot” Vernon hunted deer and bear to feed the family.

    Adele went to business college and became a secretary. When her first employer, a car dealer, asked her to do “showroom housework.” She quit, saying, “I didn’t go to business school to do dusting.” Later, she worked for a financial firm and the federal government.

    In the depression, Vernon worked on a ranch from 7 am to 6 pm for 10 cents hourly. After work, he sold firewood he cut and bundled.

    During Vernon’s 23 years in the Army. He trained recruits in pistol use. While in India, he was hired to hunt “man-eating tigers.”

    Vernon said they stay healthy because “We eat good food, enjoy champagne and are not smokers.” She added, “We enjoy reading, television, napping and eating breakfast in our pajamas.”

    The Rickstrews are getting into the holiday spirit: he with a Santa hat and she in Christmas colors. Together they will savor holiday festivities and their longtime love.

    If you know a centenarian, send us a photo and something about him/her. We’ll help you write their story! Contact Sherry Goya:

    808-722-8487 | SGoyaLLC@aol.com

    “I always tease him that I am the oldest,” says Adele Rickstrew, wife of Vernon. “And he laughs.” They are Hawaii Kai Retirement Community’s 100 years old couple. She was born in Nevada on June 1913, and he in Colorado on February 1914. Both came from large families, did chores and helped with younger siblings.…