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Dr. Carl B. Mason, who took part in the first open-heart surgery in Hawaii, died last Thursday in Palo Alto, Calif. He was 76. Carl Mason, 76,
Retailer Jan Berman
open-heart surgeon
More obituariesStar-Bulletin staff
Having joined the open-heart surgery team of Queen's Hospital in 1958, he was on hand for the Dec. 2, 1959, first here, on a team led by Dr. Scott Brainard that performed the historic operation. He remained on the team until 1976.
The San Diego-born Mason graduated in 1953 from the school of medicine of Stanford University, moving to Queen's to begin his residency the same year. He had served as a Navy pharmacist's mate in World War II.
The years 1969 to 1976 found Mason an assistant professor of surgery at the University of Hawaii school of medicine.
Also, he served as assistant chief of surgery and later assistant chief of thoracic surgery at Queen's.
A founding member of the American Trauma Society, he was active in civic endeavors and professional organizations. He served on boards of Kuakini Hospital and the Salvation Army. Also, he volunteered to be physician for Roosevelt High School's football team. He moved his practice to Napa, Calif., in 1976.
Dr. Mason is survived by wife Jean; son Michael; daughters Lynn Haia and Jeanne Chasey; and six grandchildren.
Honolulu memorial services are pending. Donations may be made to the National Kidney Foundation, Hawaii Chapter.
Cesario B. Cadavona, 75, of Makaweli, Kauai, an irrigator for Gay and Robinson, died Friday in Kauai Veterans Hospital. He was born in the Philippines. He is survived by wife Carmen; daughter Mila Yamaoka; sons Albert and Roland; sisters Andriana Reyes and Perfectua Cadavona; brother Philomeno, and six grandchildren. Services: 10 a.m. Monday at St. Theresa's Catholic Church in Kekaha. Call after 8:30 a.m. Burial: Hanapepe Filipino Cemetery. Casual attire.
Asta N. Chinen, 79, of Wahiawa died Saturday. She was born in Ask, Denmark. She is survived by sons Robert Jr. and Fritz Chinen and Clemens Pedersen; daughter Margrethe Chinen-Klieber, and three grandchildren. Memorial services: 4 p.m. Saturday at Lutheran Church of Honolulu. Call after 3:30 p.m. Casual attire.
George T. Correa, 83, of Las Vegas, formerly of Honolulu, died Sept. 17 in Las Vegas. He was born in Waialua. He is survived by sister Rita Kilgallen. Private services.
Henry Costa Jr., 71, of Kailua, a retired dairyman and owner of Henry Costa Dairy, died Monday in Honolulu. He was born in Honolulu. He is survived by mother Lola; daughters Sharon Sheehan, Ann Nadean Trujillo, Joan Rodriguez, Jean Blank and Marcella Costa; brothers Frank, David and Gabriel, 10 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren. Services: 10:15 a.m. Monday at Hawaiian Memorial Park Mortuary. Call after 8:30 a.m. Burial to follow. Casual attire. No flowers.
Reginald J.Y. Dang, 73, of Honolulu, a retired truck driver for Alaska Teamsters Union, died Sept. 19. He was born in Honolulu. He is survived by sons Russell and Michael; daughters Debra Hooper and Geniel Sanft; brothers Gordon and Patrick; sisters Ruth Lee and Sydney Yuen, and nine grandchildren. Private services.
David R. Feliciano, 51, of Concord, Calif., a salesman, died last Thursday at home. He was born on Oahu. He is survived by daughters Sky Feliciano, Carla Sans and Stacy Baird; son Wade Baird; brothers Richard, James, Donald, Gavin, Clifford and John; sisters Davilyn Payne, Joan Feliciano and Laurel Reid; mother Olive, and four grandchildren. Private services. Scattering of ashes in Hawaii.
Johnette B. Higa, also known as Johnette B. Santiago, 39, of Pearl City and Hawley, Texas, a retired major for the Army National Guard, died Sept. 16. She was born in Honolulu. She is survived by husband Jesse; daughters Jolene and Jessica; parents John and Helen Santiago; brothers John, Glenn, Don, Steven and Paul Santiago, and sisters Linda Malaki, Raynette Daite and Gloria Sua. Mass: 7 p.m. Monday at Our Lady of Good Counsel in Pearl City. Call from 6 to 9 p.m. Burial: 11 a.m. Tuesday at Hawaii State Veterans Cemetery. Aloha attire.
Aguida Juan, 89, of Kealia, Kauai, died Friday in Wilcox Memorial Hospital. She was born in the Philippines. She is survived by daughters Felomina Yadao, Juanita Galacgac and Avelina Dannog; sons Alfredo, Santiago and Ernie; brother Eldifonso Ulat; sister Brigida, 36 grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Services: 10 a.m. Wednesday at St. Catherine's Church. Call from 9 to 9:45 a.m. Burial: Lihue Public Cemetery. Casual or aloha attire.
Helen H. Kealoha, 88, of Wailuku, a retired tour guide, died Saturday in Hale Makua. She was born in Paia, Maui. She is survived by husband Abraham; sons David, Obed, Alan, Daniel, Fred, Bert and John Sniffen; daughters Leocadia Koki, Sally AuYoung, Violet Mershon, Gladys Christopherson and Elaine Turner; brothers Aaron and Albert Brown; 59 grandchildren, 96 great-grandchildren and 27 great-great-grandchildren. Services: 11 a.m. Saturday at Maluhia Church. Call after 9 a.m. Burial: Ka Home Maha Mau Cemetery. Aloha attire.
Estelle Kan Kong, 90, of Honolulu died Monday in Straub Hospital. She is survived by daughters Corinne Kong, Barbara K. Vlachos, Nani K.Ho and Raestelle K. Gorman, eight grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. Services: 4 p.m. Sunday at St. Peter's Episcopal Church. Call after 3 p.m. Private inurnment. No flowers. Donations suggested to St. Peter's Episcopal Church, the Honolulu Academy of Arts, the YWCA or the Chinese Historical Society.
Constance F.H. Lawler, 87, of Honolulu, a retired federal employee at Tripler Army Medical Center, died Sunday in Queen's Medical Center. She was born in Honolulu. She is survived by son Thomas Rolfe; daughters Shirley Floyd and Doris Hamasaki; brother David Yap; sisters En Kyau Kong and Irene Lee, five grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. Services: 4 p.m. Sunday at Borthwick Mortuary. Call from 3:30 to 6 p.m. Burial: 10 a.m. Monday at Hawaii State Veterans Cemetery. Aloha attire. No flowers.
Sadashi Matsunami, 82, of Honolulu, a retired carpenter, died Friday in Convalescent Center of Honolulu. He was born in Kohala, Hawaii. He is survived by wife Jane; son Dennis; brothers Toshio and Hideo Shirasaki; sisters Mitsuru Ozeki and Kiyoko Sakai, and two grandchildren. Memorial services: 6 p.m. Monday at Hosoi Garden Mortuary. Call after 5 p.m. Casual attire. No flowers.
Charlotte T.M. "Mac" Mayfield, 75, of Honolulu and formerly of El Paso, Texas died Sept. 19 in Alpine, Texas. She was born in Casper, Wyo. She is survived by sons Charles M. and James D.; daughter Laura M. Fink, and six grandchildren. Services held. Donations suggested to Arthritis Foundation, Punahou School at 1600 Punahou St., Honolulu 96822, and the Romance Languages Department at the University of Texas, El Paso.
Mary Ann "Mimi" McMurray, 30, of Pahoa, Hawaii, died Sept. 20 in Hilo Medical Center. She was born in Carmel, Calif. She is survived by daughter Brandalyn L.; son Torin B.; father Edward; mother Charlotte Foster; brother Aaron, and grandparents Edna Estes and Noma McMurray. Memorial services: 1 p.m. Sunday at Pahoa Assembly of God Church. Casual attire.
William E. "Bill" Meserve, 81, of Kekaha, Kauai, died Sept. 19 in Kauai Care Center. He was born in Maine. He is survived by wife Thelma and sisters and brothers on the mainland. Private services.
Stanley F. Nakamura, 90, of Hilo, a retired heavy equipment mechanic for Jas. W. Glover Ltd., died Monday in Hilo Medical Center. He was born in Mountain View, Hawaii. He is survived by wife Yoshiko; son Glenn; daughters Ellen Wong and Gail Nakamura, three grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Services: 4 p.m. Sunday at Dodo Mortuary. Call after 3 p.m. Casual attire. No flowers.
Bonifaz "Ben" Nigg, 75, of Aiea, a tour director at Connoisseur Holidays Unlimited, died Friday at home. He was born in Berlingen, Switzerland. He is survived by wife Elizabeth; sons Peter, Daniel and Lucas, and four grandchildren. Services at a later date.
Lurene F. Ota, 56, of Waipahu, a retired educational assistant at Honowai Elementary School, died Monday. She was born in Lihue, Kauai. She is survived by husband Yoshio; daughters Shelly Soderman, Wendy Remmers and Cindy Kim; brother Calvin Fujita; sisters Barbara Funamura and Linda Fujita, and four grandchildren. Memorial services: 4 p.m. Saturday at Honpa Hongwanji Mission. Call after 3:30 p.m. Casual attire. No flowers.
Juan Pe Benito Planas, 72, of Eleele, Kauai, a heavy equipment operator for McBryde Sugar, died Sunday in Kauai Veterans Memorial Hospital. He also served in the U.S. Army. He was born in the Philippines. He is survived by wife Lourdes; sons Darrell, David, John, Terrence, Alvin and Louis; daughters Clarissa Barrozo, Karen Rita and Mona Planas; sisters Dolores Domenden, Maggie Padilla and Josephine Stone, 15 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. Services: 7 p.m. next Thursday at Borthwick Kauai Mortuary. Call from 6 to 9 p.m. Services: 10 a.m. Oct. 6 at Eleele Sacred Hearts Catholic Church. Call after 8 a.m. Burial: Kauai Veterans Cemetery. Casual attire. No flowers.
Paul T. Taba, 84, of Honolulu, a retired equipment maintenance specialist, died Friday at home. He was born in Heeia. He is survived by wife Tatsuyo; son Milton M.; daughters Pauline L. Matsuyama and Rosemae Y. Harrington; brother James; sister Irene Omine, and seven grandchildren. Services: 2 p.m. Sunday at Hosoi Garden Mortuary. Casual attire. No flowers.
Katherine "Kay" Taniguchi, 83, of Kekaha, Kauai died last Thursday at home. She was born in Kekaha. She is survived by son Daryl; brothers Thomas, Stanley and David Arakaki; sister Betsy Sakai, and two grandchildren. Private services.
Shirley M. Togawa, 39, of Honolulu died Sept. 2. She was born in Honolulu. She is survived by parents Toshio and Misayo; brother Glen, and sister Sandra. Private services.
Angeline A. Walther, 89, of Honolulu died Sept. 14 at home. She was born in Price Canyon, Calif. She is survived sisters Josephine Serpa, Rose Olivera and Ida Gardner; brother Manuel Avila Jr., and stepchildren. Memorial Mass and gathering on the mainland. Scattering of ashes: 9 a.m. tomorrow at the Outrigger Canoe Club. In lieu of flowers, donations suggested to the University of California, Foundation for the Arts and Sciences, 2440 Bancroft Way Berkeley, CA 94720-4200; the Honolulu Academy of Arts, 900 S Beretania St., Honolulu, HI 96814; Honolulu Symphony 650 Iwilei Road, Suite 202, Honolulu, HI 96817; Friends of the Library, 690 Pohukaina St., Honolulu, HI 96813, or the Historic Hawaii Foundation, 680 Iwilei Road, Suite 690, Honolulu, HI 96817.
Hanayo Yamanaka, 98, of Wailuku is also survived by daughter Umeko Ishizaka. The additional information for an obituary published Tuesday was provided by the mortuary.
Yoshio Yamauchi, 86, of Anchorage, Alaska, formerly of Honolulu, a retired television repairman, died Sept. 20. He was born in Koloa, Kauai. He is survived by wife Shizue; son Colin; daughters Carol Tong, May Gushiken, Natalie Le Beau and Iris Yamauchi; brother Dr. Shoyei, six grandchildren and a great-grandchild. Services: noon Saturday at Diamond Head Mortuary. Call after 11 a.m. Casual attire.
Sim Yu, 82, of Lihue, Kauai, a proprietor with the log industry, died last Thursday in Wilcox Memorial Hospital. He was born in China. He is survived by wife Jesusa C.; daughters Cheryll Calipjo and Lilian Calipjo Curammeng; sons Elesther and Lisel Calipjo and Wang Yun Zhi, and 14 grandchildren. Services: 7 p.m. Oct. 6 at Borthwick Kauai Mortuary. Call from 6 to 9 p.m. Mass: 11 a.m. Oct. 7 at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church. Call after 9 a.m. Burial: Kalapaki Bay Cemetery. Casual attire.
You can also search the Hawaii State Library System's
Hawaii Newspaper Index online for older obituaries at:
http://www.hcc.hawaii.edu/education/hcc/library/hiindex.html
The index, which goes back several decades,
is available via Telnet software.