Obituaries

Monday, April 20, 1998

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Saturday, April 18, 1998

John C. Bing, 77, of Honolulu died Thursday in Honolulu. Born in Kiribati, he is survived by wife Teini; sons Alex, Michael, Chris, Valerian and John Jr.; daughters Delores Thompson, Belinda May, Lillian Thaggard and Sharon Kamea; grandchildren; and great-grandchildren. Mass: 5 p.m. today at St. Francis Hospital. Aloha attire. Call Ultimate Cremation Services of Hawaii for more information.

Arthur L. Heilbron, 72, of Kailua is the former owner of Dentist Supply Co. Incorrect information for an obituary published Wednesday provided by the mortuary.

Wataru Horie, 81, of Kaneohe, a retired city refuse foreman, died Tuesday in Kaneohe. Born in Honolulu, he is survived by sons Walter H., Stanley I., Larry H. and Wilfred Y.; daughter Thelma Westad; sisters Elizabeth S. Tanigawa and Alice Okamoto; 12 grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. Private services.

Yoshito Ichikawa, also known as Francis Y. Ichikawa, 77, of Pearl City, died Monday in Pearl City Nursing Home. He was a retired mason supervisor for M. Horita Contractors. Born in Hanapepe, Kauai, he is survived by wife Grace U., sons Glenn Y. and Keith T., daughter Rachel H. Scott, 11 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Memorial services: 6 p.m. Wednesday at Hosoi Garden Mortuary. Call after 5 p.m. Casual attire. No flowers.

Kenneth F. Kamakahi, 67, of Honolulu died Thursday. Born in Honolulu, he is survived by sons Dennis and Jeffrey, daughter Debra Henderson, brother Ronald, stepbrother Harry Levitt and seven grandchildren. Inurnment: 8:30 a.m. Friday at National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, Punchbowl.

Norine E.M. Molaka, 80, of Ewa Beach died March 19 in Ewa Beach. Born in Kansas, she is survived by son Michael. Private services. Call Michael Molaka at 735-2302 for information.

Harold Y. Oda, 94, of Honolulu, a retired general insurance agent at Amfac/JMB Hawaii Inc., died Monday in Hale Nani Rehabilitation and Nursing Center. Born in Honolulu, he is survived by brother John E. and sisters Nancy K. Wakuya and Elsie S. Murakami. Services: 6 p.m. Wednesday at Harris United Methodist Church. Call after 5 p.m. Casual attire. No flowers.

Julia A. Switz, 84, of Haleiwa died last Saturday. Born in Hawaii, she is survived by friends, the Jeremiahs. Services: 9:30 a.m. Tuesday at Hawaiian Memorial Park Mortuary. Call after 9 a.m. Burial to follow. Call Williams Funeral Services for information.

Betsy T. Tagomori, 61, of Honolulu, an orthodontic assistant for Dr. Isao Masunaga, died Tuesday in Honolulu. Born in Honolulu, she is survived by husband Harry T.; daughter Dara T.; brother Harry Kubota; and sisters Lila Nishimura, Lillian Sakane, Florence Bremner and Shirley Ann Kubota. Services: 4:30 p.m. Tuesday at Central Union Church. Casual attire. No flowers.

Myrtle C. Whitman, 85, of Honolulu, a retired state employee, died March 31 in Queen's Hospital. She was also in charge of the office of civil defense during World War II. Born in Paauhau, Hawaii, she is survived by sons James and Kent, four grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. Private services.

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Monday, April 20, 1998

William H. Heen Jr. dies;
former fiscal officer
for Koolau Boys Home

Star-Bulletin staff

William H. Heen Jr., 85, former Kailua resident and son of former territorial Senate President William H. Heen, died Tuesday in Santa Rosa, Calif.

A retired fiscal officer for the Koolau Boys Home of the state Department of Corrections, the junior Heen was born in Hilo. His father died in 1973.

The younger Heen served on the Oahu School Advisory Council in the 1960s. His community activities also included memberships in the Hawaiian Government Employees Association and Maunawili Elementary School Parent-Teachers Association. He retired from his state position in 1964 and moved to Santa Rosa in 1989.

“He enjoyed fishing; he enjoyed golf,” said daughter Shellene Gilman. “He enjoyed following the Rainbow football and basketball teams. He was a lifelong Democrat. He kept busy mostly with fishing, golfing and spectator sports (in retirement).”

He also is survived by son Peter; brothers Curtis N. and Douglas; sister Muriel K. Heen; aunt Elizabeth K. Lum; a grandchild, and care-givers Bill Scogland and Loretta Silva.

There will be no services. Ashes will be scattered off Kailua Beach at a later date.

Thomas J. Bass, 49, of Tarboro, N.C., formerly of Hawaii, died Thursday. He is survived by mother Marjorie Benson, sister Irene and brother John. Services were Saturday in Tarboro.

Francis E. “Gene” Poag Jr., 58, of Kingsport, Tenn., a retired meteorologist with the National Weather Service, died Thursday in Tennessee. He served in Honolulu for five years as assistant regional director of the Pacific region. He was also a U.S. Navy veteran. He is survived by mother Violet Harmon; wife Christine S.; son Fred; daughters Adrienne and Marnie Scharping; brothers Louis, James and John; sisters Kathleen Arnold, Gloria McKay and Cindi Gehrke, and two grandsons. Services were yesterday in Johnson City, Tenn.

George Sadao Sugimoto, 52, of Waianae, a commercial truck driver for Albert's Towing, died Wednesday at St. Francis West Hospital. He was born in Wahiawa. He is survived by wife Gloria; son Vince; daughter Vanessa; mother Elsie Hewison; brothers Bobby and Ernest, and sister Ella Hewison. Services: 7:30 p.m. tomorrow and 10 a.m. Wednesday at Nuuanu Mortuary. Call from 6 to 9 p.m. tomorrow and after 9 a.m. Wednesday at the mortuary. Burial: 11 a.m. Wednesday at Valley of the Temples Memorial Park.

Elsie M. Walston, 89, of Kailua-Kona, a retired computer operator, died April 7. She was born in Fairmont, Minn. She is survived by sons Miles A. and David L. Frisk; daughter Daphne F. Myers, and two grandchildren. Services were in California.