Ushigi Akamine, 87, of Honolulu died July 27. She was born in Honolulu. She is survived by sons David, William, James, Henry and Fred; daughter Helen Yoshikawa; brother Ryosei Uyehara; sisters Daisy Arakaki and Dorothy Watanabe; five grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. Private services.Violet S.M. Au, 70, of Honolulu died July 27. She was born in Honolulu. She is survived by brothers William, Harry and Roland; and sister Alice Crowe. Private services.
Joseph H. "Popcorn" Corn, 77, of Waianae, former Los Angeles Rams running back and retired sheet metal worker for the federal government, died July 27. He was born in Honolulu. He is survived by sons Joseph, Byron, James and Gary; nine grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren. Services: 6:30 p.m. Saturday at Waianae Assembly of God Church, 84-375 Jade St. Call after 6 p.m. Casual attire.
Carla Louise Curlee, 72, of Paradise Park, Hawaii, died July 17 in Hilo Medical Center. She was born in Iowa. She is survived by son Jay A. and two grandchildren. Private services.
Federico Obra Duyanen, 89, of Waipahu died July 24. He was born in the Philippines. He is survived by son Aurelio; daughters Gloria Patagaue, Camila Padilla, Esperanza Laberinto and Sylvia Sadaba; 16 grandchildren; and 20 great-grandchildren. Services: 7 p.m. Monday at St. Joseph Church. Call after 6 p.m. Burial at a later date in the Philippines. Casual attire.
Tito Bolosan Galapon, 81, of Waialua died Aug. 1. He was born in the Philippines. He is survived by wife Fely; sons Henry and Bryan Galapon and Sonny Monroy; daughters Lina Nauka and Norma and and Loretta Balidoy; sister Constancia Ramoran; and nine grandchildren. Services: 7 p.m. Sunday at Mililani Mortuary-Waipio, mauka chapel. Call after 6 p.m. Additional services: 11 a.m. Monday at St. Michael Church. Call after 10 a.m. Burial: 12:30 p.m. Monday at Mililani Memorial Park. Casual attire.
Bill N. Griep Sr., 36, of Hanapepe, Kauai, a maintenance woker at Poipu Crater Resorts, died Tuesday in Wilcox Memorial Hospital. He was born in Moanalua. He is survived by wife Cherie; sons Bill N. and James K.; daughters Natasha S., Haunani S., Alana L.P. and Ho'onanea K.; mother Corliss; and brother Deidrick. Services: 6 p.m. Sunday at Garden Island Mortuary Chapel. Call after 4 p.m. Casual attire.
Bok Ju "Paula" Ho, 49, of Honolulu died July 30. She was born in South Korea. She is survived by husband Chester, sons Dennis Y. Ho and Michael A. Litsey, mother In Hee Ahn, brothers Jae Kwon Chung and Jae Hak Chung, and sister Anah Wilcox. Services: 6 p.m. Tuesday at St. Pius X Catholic Church. Call after 5 p.m. Casual attire. No flowers.
Ayako Inoue, 92, of Hilo died July 30 in Hale Anuenue Restorative Care Center, Hilo. She was born in Hilo. She is survived by sons Takeshi, Howard and Ronald I.; daughters Joyce Fiske, Yaeko Tengan and Pearl Nako; brother Minoru Awada; 10 grandchildren; and 16 great-grandchildren. Private services.
James Kahili "Jimmy" Kaupu Sr., 45, of Honomalino, Hawaii, a machinery operator and truck driver at MacFarms Hawaii, died July 31 in Kona Community Hospital. He was born in Hilo. He is survived by wife Viola L.K.; son James K.; hanai sons Sherman Goita, Jarrett A. Casuga and Lot "Hano Boy" Grace III; daughter Lyla-Ann K.; hanai daughters Alida-lynn Blanco, Mailani Laufasa, Aliana L. Akana and Jody K.L. Kahele; grandfather William "Papa" Choy Hee; hanai mothers Lily N. Kong, Emma Hashimoto-Pahala and Mabel Branco; hanai fathers Clinton Haina and Billy Choy Hee; brothers Sam Jr., Levi H. and Shannon; sisters Sandra T. Blanco and Billie-Lee Choy-Hee; hanai brothers Calvin Grace, Michael Forcum, Jack Casuga and Benjamin Akana; and hanai sisters Diana Aki and Nancietta Haalilio. Services: 7 p.m. tomorrow at the Viola Kaupu residence, Honomalino. Additional services: 7 p.m. Saturday at the B.B. and Sam Kaupu Jr. residence, Milolii. Call after 6 p.m. Also 9 a.m. Sunday at the B.B. and Sam Kaupu Jr. residence. Cremation to follow. Aloha attire.
Josephine Jesse Miller, 80, of Honolulu, died Sunday in Queen's Medical Center. She was born in Honolulu. She is survived by sons John Derricotte, Robert Derricotte, Donald Miller Jr. and William Miller; daughters Beverly Niemiec, Adelaide Melim, Georgia Vieau and Donnell Heard; brother Patrick Teixeira; sisters Florence Guererro and Gladys Luke; 17 grandchildren; and 13 great-grandchildren. Services: 6:15 p.m. tomorrow at Star of the Sea Church, 4470 Aliikoa St. Aloha attire.
Lawrence Taketo Minami Sr., 86, of Lahaina, a retired journeyman machinist and general mechanic at Pioneer Mill Sugar Co., died Tuesday at home. He was born in Lahaina. He is survived by wife Hazel; sons Kenneth Kaluakini and Lawrence Jr., Carl and Dave Minami; daughters Abigail Suzuki, Ululani Perry, Merle Minami-Shima and Gail Reinhardt; 16 grandchildren; 15 great-grandchildren; and one great-great-grandchild. Services: 5 p.m. Friday at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Lahaina Ward. Call after 3 p.m. Reception to follow. Burial: 9 a.m. Saturday at Maui Memorial Park Cemetery. Aloha attire.
Michael Bryant Morse, of Kailua died Tuesday in Tripler Army Medical Center. He was born in Idaho Falls, Idaho. He is survived by father Merrill B. and brother James. Private services.
Takeyo Nakamura, 85, of Papaikou, Hawaii, a homemaker, died Friday in Hilo Medical Center. She was born in Honaunau, Hawaii. She is survived by daughter Gail K. Kawamoto, sister Matsu Wakamiya and three grandchildren. Services held.
Ederlinda S. "Erling" Ramos, 64, of Kaunakakai, Molokai, died Sunday. She was born in the Philippines. She is survived by husband Luzbello, sons Joel and John, daughter Emilin Sales and one grandchild. Services: 7 p.m. Friday at Kaunakakai Baptist Church. Call after 6 p.m. Additional services: 11 a.m. Saturday at the church. Call after 8:30 a.m. Burial: noon Saturday at Kapaakea Cemetery.
Jessie Ichiko Ruth, 86, of Kaneohe, died Saturday. She was born in Ewa Beach. She is survived by daughter Candis M. Faria, brother James Yamashita, sisters Edna Ishii and Alyce Tamane, two grandchildren and one great-grandchild. Services: 3 p.m. Sunday at Seicho No Ie Hawaii, 1333 Matlock Ave. Casual attire. No flowers.
Allen Noikulani Sato, 48, of Honolulu, a bookmaker at Fisher Printing and Pioneer Printers, died Aug. 1. He was born in Honolulu. He is survived by wife Grace; son Kim P.; daughters Nelanie, Alice and Leila; mother Alice; brothers Francis and Leonard; and sisters Winona Kimura and Pauline Foster. Services: 1:30 p.m. Monday at Mililani Downtown Mortuary. Call after 12:30 p.m. Inurnment: 3 p.m. Monday at Hawaiian Memorial Park Cemetery.
Raymond Andrew Shemo, 72, of Aiea, will be remembered in services at 1 p.m. Tuesday at Hawaii State Veterans Cemetery. Incorrect information was published in an obituary yesterday.
Thomas "Kojak" Spegar, 71, of Augusta, Ga., a Korean War, WWII and Vietnam War veteran and former prisoner of war, died Aug. 1 in Georgia. He is survived by sons Thomas Jr. and Duane, hanai son Darrell Robertson, four sisters, one brother and two grandchildren. Services: 3:30 p.m. Sunday at Borthwick Mortuary. Call after 2 p.m. Burial: 10 a.m. Monday at Hawaii State Veterans Cemetery, Kaneohe. Casual attire.
Merliza Turla "Merl" "Chinky" Vitolo, 33, of Ewa, a Oahu Transit Services/Para Transit employee, died Saturday. She was born in the Philippines. She is survived by husband Paul, son Johnny, daughter Marissa, mother Josephine Orpilla, brothers Tony Turla and Arnel Turla, and sister Marietta Umaguing. Services: 11 a.m. Monday at St. Joseph Church, Waipahu. Call after 9:30 a.m. Burial: Valley of the Temples Memorial Park. Casual attire.
Deaths Elsewhere
Howard Elting, a U.S. diplomat who was among the first to inform the State Department of Nazi plans to eliminate European Jews, died of heart failure July 1 in San Rafael, Calif. He was 93.
Elting was Geneva consulate vice president in 1942 when he forwarded a cable from Dr. Gerhart Riegner, representative of the World Jewish Congress in Geneva, according to the Encyclopedia of the Holocaust.
The cable dated Aug. 11, 1942, was based on "the highest German authorities" and told of Nazi plans "to exterminate at one blow this fall 3 1/2 to 4 million Jews."
Billy Byrd, who once played lead guitar for Ernest Tubb's Texas Troubadours, died Tuesday in Nashville, Tenn. He was 81.
On many of Tubb's hit records, Tubb would introduce Byrd's tight melodic solos by exclaiming, "Aw, Billy Byrd now," or "Play it pretty, Billy Byrd." Byrd played on scores of Tubb hits, including "Jealous Loving Heart," "Two Glasses Joe" and "Answer the Phone."
Byrd released three solo albums, and during a stint in California backed Tab Hunter and Tex Ritter. In 1950, Byrd and guitarist Hank Garland designed the popular Byrdland guitar for Gibson Guitars.
James A. Corbett, a founder of a movement that brought hundreds of thousands of Central American refugees into the United States, died Aug. 2 in Tucson, Ariz. He was 67.
Corbett co-founded the Sanctuary Movement in Tucson with the Rev. John Fife in 1981. Corbett aided hundreds of Salvadorans and Guatemalans who were fleeing civil war in the early 1980s, personally guiding them across Mexico to Tucson.
Corbett believed that when the United States was not accepting Central American refugees, the ethical thing to do was to help them cross the border safely and avoid capture.
The Sanctuary Movement spread across the United States and Canada and resulted in Corbett's indictment in 1985.
He and 10 others were charged with conspiring to smuggle Central Americans into the United States. In 1986 a jury convicted eight defendants but acquitted three, including Corbett.
Carl Diedrich, who emigrated from Germany and built a coffee chain bearing his name, died July 31 in Costa Mesa, Calif., from complications of Parkinson's disease. He was 86.
When Diedrich and his wife relocated to California in 1972, he started a coffee empire that today has grown to 370 stores in 37 states and 11 countries. That ranks a distant second behind Starbucks, which has about 3,300 stores.
The company has evolved in recent years with the acquisitions of Gloria Jean's coffeehouses and a larger competitor, Coffee People Inc.
Gen. Duong Van "Big" Minh, who was president of South Vietnam for just a few days before the country fell to communist invaders in 1975, died Monday in Pasadena, Calif., after a fall. He was 86.
Minh was installed as president in April 1975 as South Vietnam crumbled under an onslaught from North Vietnam's communist forces. In a matter of days, Minh's political reign ended as communist troops overran Saigon and captured the country's leaders. He was arrested and put in detention but allowed to emigrate to France in 1983.
Minh helped lead a U.S.-backed coup in 1963 that overthrew then-South Vietnamese President Ngo Dinh Diem, who was killed along with his brother, police Chief Ngo Dinh Nhu.
Minh, the second-highest ranking general at the time, took power under a military junta. Two months later, Gen. Nguyen Khanh deposed the junta and took control of the country. Minh went into exile.
Minh kept a low political profile until 1975 when Hanoi's forces launched what would be the final offensive of their long struggle to take over the south. In the final days, Minh was named interim president on April 28, 1975, with a promise to seek a reconciliation with the northerners.
The attempt at settlement failed, and Saigon fell to the invaders on April 30. Minh went on radio and television to announce that South Vietnam was surrendering unconditionally.
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.