Obituaries

Saturday, December 20 and Monday, December 22, 1997

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John Young dead at 88; suffered
a stroke after throwing Friday party

By Susan Kreifels, Star-Bulletin

John Young, a self-taught painter who was one of Hawaii's most successful artists, died Sunday at 88.

Young gained national acclaim when Time magazine noted one of his seascapes at the 1936 National Exhibition of U.S. Art.

The horse paintings for which he was famous were also acclaimed by national art critics as reminiscent of the Chinese Sung Dynasty.

"John certainly was one of Hawaii's best artists," said George Ellis, director of the Honolulu Academy of Arts.

"He played a major role in the development of arts in Hawaii over the last 75 years."

Longtime friend Roger Bellinger said Young's work was very personal to collectors.

"Although he did similar themes -- seascapes, horses and children -- no two were ever alike," Bellinger said. "He could never duplicate his work. It had different meanings to different people. It was personalized. It brought memories of the ocean or childhood."

Young also had an extensive art collection from around the world and covering all time periods. Some of Young's Southeast Asian pieces are on exhibit at The John Young Gallery at the academy. "He had a wonderful eye for beauty," Ellis said.

Bellinger said Young died at The Queen's Medical Center from a stroke he suffered after throwing a Christmas party Friday night for family and friends. The party was held at the Hee Hing Restaurant, where he was surrounded by his paintings.

Known to be a man of great energy, Young was already planning his next party right before he suffered the stroke, Bellinger said.

Young is survived by a daughter, Deborah Li, who lives in Hawaii, nieces and nephews, and "thousands of friends," Bellinger said.

Young, who was born in Chinatown, opened a studio soon after graduating from McKinley High School in 1929. He traveled widely through Asia and Mexico, broadening his understanding of his two worlds -- the East and West.

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Radio DJ, restaurateur
Sam Sanford dead at 68

By Susan Kreifels, Star-Bulletin

Sam Sanford, a former radio disc jockey and restaurateur known for his pranks and outrageous sense of humor, died Saturday in his home. He was 68.

Sanford came here in 1957, and his name soon became a household word. He entertained Hawaii's morning radio listeners over the next two decades. He was half of the Sanford and Cook Show on KHAI radio station that broadcast out of the Royal Hawaiian Hotel in the 1960s. He later moved to station KGU.

"He said anything he wanted to say without being profane -- a practical joker to the max," said close friend and one-time business partner Bob Bowen. "He was a very comic person who lived life to the fullest."

His wife, Sheila Sanford, said he died at 1:30 a.m. Saturday in his home. He had been suffering from liver disease since May. "He was quite a character, a legend in his own time here," she said.

"He was the love of my life, one of the most intelligent and compassionate men I've ever known."

Sanford also ran Sam's Place, an unobtrusive restaurant on Merchant Street.

"In radio as a DJ, you intimately share peoples' lives with them. You're with them when they're shavin', showerin' ... You're eatin' breakfast with them," Sanford said in a 1975 interview. "So I have to reciprocate. I have my restaurant where people can come and share time with me."

Sanford, originally a New Yorker, led a colorful life. From an affluent family, he was thrown out of Yale in his sophomore year.

He later joined the Air Force, and he ended up running a bar in the Virgin Islands and then a hotel in Haiti. He was also a newswriter for CBS.

Sanford also hosted a radio show called Sounds of the Pacific, which played all Hawaiian music.

Ray Sweeney, another close friend and former business associate, said Sanford was part of Hawaii's version of the "Merry Pranksters" of the 1960s who played jokes on one another.

Sweeney and Bowen both recalled the time a friend dumped a box full of baby roosters in his studio during a live radio show.

Sanford also is survived by a son, Jacob, of Pennsylvania, and a daughter, Camilla, of San Francisco.

A service is tentatively scheduled for sunset Saturday at Sanford's home.

Sanford's ashes will be scattered in the sea, his wife said.

The Hawaiian Memorial Park Mortuary is making arrangements.

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Saturday, December 20, 1997

Lawrence Araujo, 66, of Honolulu, a groundskeeper with University of Hawaii, died Dec. 12 in Honolulu. Born in Hilo, he is survived by son Lawrence Jr.; daughters Lucille Araujo and Frances Afa; sisters Lucille Araki and Margaret Araujo; brothers Albert, Joseph and Harold; and six grandchildren. Private services. Call Ultimate Cremation Services of Hawaii for information.

Mildred Y. Asagi, 85, of Honolulu is survived by four grandchildren. Incorrect information was published in an obituary Thursday.

Vilma R. Aviles, 62, of Kailua died Monday in Castle Hospital. Born in Nicaragua, she is survived by husband Julio, sons Walter and Richard; daughters Barbara and Carolina; sister Carmen; brother Hector; and a granddaughter. Memorial Mass: 8 a.m. Monday at St. John Vianney Church, 920 Keolu Drive. Reception to follow. Casual attire.

Bing H. Chu, 79, of Honolulu died Tuesday in Aloha Nursing & Rehabilitation Center. Born in Canton, China, he is survived by wife Wai Loong; sons Kiu On, Richard K.K. and Edmond; daughter Maureen Parker; brother Bing Yang; sisters Shuk Chi, Sok Tack and Sok Yee; three grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. Services: 9 a.m. Wednesday at Borthwick Mortuary. Call from 8 to 10 a.m. Burial: Hawaiian Memorial Park.

Adelaida Curammeng, 83, of Castro Valley, Calif., a former worker at Tripler Hospital in the laundry department, died Sunday in California. Born in Pasuquin, Ilocos Norte, the Philippines, she is survived by children Sergio A., Vito A. Jr. and Abraham A. Curammeng and Ofelia A. Esta; brother Elias Aguda; sisters Josefa Aguinaldo, Leonora Udasco and Remigia Aguda; 11 grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren. Wake services: 6:30 p.m. Monday at Mililani Downtown Mortuary. Call from 5:30 to 9 p.m. Services: 10:30 a.m. Tuesday at the mortuary. Call after 9:30 a.m. Burial: Valley of the Temples. Casual attire. No flowers.

James A. DeRosa, 63, of Wailea, Maui, died Wednesday at home. Born in Chicago, he is survived by companion Anita Johansson; mother Connie; son Pasaquale J.; daughter Jamie; hanai son John Mudaro; sister Gilda Piermattei; brother Freddy; and a grandchild. Services: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at Ballard Family Mortuary. Call from 6 to 9 p.m. Cremation to follow. Casual attire. No flowers. Private services.

Betty Gloring, 91, of Honolulu died Wednesday in St. Francis Hospital. Born in Park City, Utah, she is survived by husband Henry, son Henry Jr., two grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. Private services.

Albert S. Henriques, 79, of Kapaa, Kauai, retired from the County of Kauai, died Dec. 10 in Wilcox Hospital. Born in Hawaii, he is survived by sons Albert Jr., Dennis and Patrick; daughters Margaret Marking and Joan Cuervo; brothers William, David, Lawrence and Eugene; sisters Florance, Helen and Doris; and 10 grandchildren. Services: 3 p.m. today at Veterans Cemetery. Casual attire.

Yoshio Isagawa, 67, of Paia, Hawaii, died yesterday in Wailuku Hale Makua. Born in Puunene, Maui, he is survived by brothers Sachio and Toshio and sisters Kinuko Shimabukuro, Mitsuko Tokuda, Sadako Fujioka, Yuriko Honma and Nobuko Isagawa. Services over ashes: 5 p.m. Tuesday at Nakamura Mortuary. Casual attire. No flowers.

Mary O. Jacang, 90, of Wahiawa died Monday in Wahiawa General Hospital. Born in Pasaquin, Ilocos Norte, the Philippines, she is survived by sons Edward U., George P., Bernard O. and Rudy O.; daughters Eugenia O. “Jane” Lindsey, Rosalie L. Ducosin, Annette M. Simmons, and Estrelleta L. Maher; sister Encarnacion “Nini” Singson; 17 grandchildren; 17 great-grandchildren; and a great-great-grandchild. Mass: 10 a.m. Tuesday at Our Lady of Sorrows Church, 1403 California Ave. Call after 8:45 a.m. Burial: Schofield Post Cemetery. Casual attire.

Andrew J.K. Kaupu, 59, of Molokai, a retired MTL and Kamehameha Schools bus driver, died Wednesday in Tripler Hospital. Born in Ualapu, Molokai, he is survived by daughter Karen Fronda; son Darren; mother Cecilia Kaupu; brothers Randolph Pualilihau and Edwin Kaupu; and sisters Ruby Hirata and Lillian Augenfeld. Services: 7 p.m. Tuesday at Kalaikamanuhou Hall, Molokai. Call from 6 to 9 p.m. Services: 9 a.m. Wednesday at the church. Inurnment: Kaapakea Cemetery.

Kenneth K. Kinoshita, 64, of Honolulu, an engineer for the U.S. Corps of Engineers, died Tuesday in Straub Hospital. Born in Hanapepe, Kauai, he is survived by wife Jane M.; sons Keith K. and Chad A.; brother Ronald H.; sister Daisy A. Misaka; and three grandchildren. Services: 6 p.m. Tuesday at Hosoi Garden Mortuary. Casual attire.

Midori “Elma” Kojima, 80, of Honolulu died Thursday. Born in Waialea, Hakalau, Hawaii, she is survived by sons Kenneth M., Hari T., Paul S. and Roy H.; daughters Evelyn S. Buddenhagen and Carol E. Farrow; brothers Clark S., Joe Y. and Richard M. Nakamura; sister Sue T. Kuramitsu; 16 grandchildren; and 10 great-grandchildren. Services: 8 p.m. Tuesday at Hosoi Garden Mortuary. Casual attire. No flowers.

David S. Lewis, 40, of Honolulu is also survived by brother Deering. Incorrect information for an obituary Thursday provided by the mortuary.

Maurice Ovik, 71, of Aiea died Dec. 12 in Queen’s Hospital. Born in Hettinger, N.D., he is survived by wife Blanche and daughter Maureen Herwick. Inurnment: 1 p.m. Tuesday at National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, Punchbowl. No flowers. Donations suggested to American Cancer Society.

Jeanette “Hiroko” Price, 65, of Honolulu is survived by sisters Sharon S. Ishikawa and Grace H. Ishikawa. Incorrect information was published in an obituary yesterday.

June J.K. “Stephenson” Tupua, 58, of Makakilo, retired from Electrical Distributors Ltd., died last Saturday in St. Francis-West Hospital. Born in Honolulu, she is survived by husband Soara I.; sons Soara Jr. and Bill L.; daughters Soana J.K. Fanoga and Saline L. Tupua; brothers William Jr., George and Thomas Stephenson; sisters Esther Place and Ramona Crowell; and eight grandchildren. Services: 9-11:15 a.m. Tuesday at Mililani Mortuary-Waipio, mauka chapel. Burial: Mililani Memorial Park. Casual attire.

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Monday, December 22, 1997

Charles J. DeLuca, 70, of Arvada, Colo., a retired director of the publications office at the University of Hawaii College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, died Dec. 12 at home. He is survived by wife Diana; son David E.; mother John Correa; sister Michael Dale and a grandson. Services on the mainland. Scattering of ashes at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations suggested to Hospice of Metro Denver, 425 S. Cherry St., Suite 700, Denver, Colo. 80246-1234.

Hatsuyo Fujimoto, 90, of Honolulu died Dec. 9 at home. She was born in Aiea. Survived by sons Wilfred, Ralph, George, Fred and Reynold; daughters Mary Larm and June Fujimoto; sisters Edna Kuwahara and Aileen Ogawa, 13 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.

Bruce T. Herbert, 56, of Olowalu, Maui, a self-employed electrician, died Tuesday at home. He was born in Arcadia, Wis. Survived by former wife Violet; daughters Lori Macabio and Lea Ohashi; son Byron; mother Laura; brother Brent, and eight grandchildren. Services: 10:30 a.m. Saturday at Ballard Family Mortuary, Kahului. Casual attire. No flowers.

Francis I. Nakagawa, 58, of Honolulu died Dec. 13 in Straub Hospital. He was born in Kamooloa, Hawaii. Survived by brothers Allen and Hisashi and sisters Charlotte Yamada, Jan Ito, Julie Young, Chieko Inouye and Emy Hynes. Private services.

Mildred H. Sato, 76, of Honolulu died last Dec. 13 in Straub Hospital. She was born in South Hilo. Survived by husband Tatsuo; brothers Toshio and Toshiyuki Tagawa, and sister Margaret Tomita. Private services.

Wayne D. Spencer, 61, of Mali Point, a retired attorney, died Dec. 13 in Honolulu. He was also a property manager. He was born in Detroit. Survived by daughter Linda Valia, wife Kathy Yamashiro and sister Bonnie Pennington. Private services. Call Ultimate Cremation Services of Hawaii for information.

Alfred P. Stacy, 80, a 50-year resident of Honolulu, died Dec. 8 in Columbus, Ohio. He was born in Virginia. Survived by son Al Jr., brother Skinner, and an aunt. Services held.

Dorothy Tao, of Koloa, Kauai, a retired librarian and teacher at Koloa School, died Dec. 8 in Queen’s Hospital. She was born in Wahiawa. Survived by husband Sam H.; daughter Grace; sisters Carole Okamura and Ryo Takaki, and a grandson. Services held.

Yutaka Tomita, 77, of Honolulu, a retired president of Hawaii Exterminating Co., died Dec. 8 in Kuakini Hospital. He was born in Honolulu. Survived by wife Edna K.; sons Paul T., Rodney K. and Brian M.; daughter Colleen K.; brothers Isamu and John T., and four grandchildren. Private services.