Kimiyo Kondo celebrated her 100th birthday Sunday with a birthday cake and Linda Knight, who runs the care home where Kondo resides.
100-year-old boss
still making roundsKimiyo Kondo's feisty nature
animates her Victoria House home
If it weren't for her poor eyesight and loss of hearing, there would be no stopping Kimiyo Kondo. Never mind that she turned 100 two days ago.
Kondo celebrated her birthday yesterday with family and friends from Victoria House, the nursing home where she has lived for the last five years.
The party was thrown by Kondo's nurse, Linda Knight, who said she wanted to celebrate the big event with a special tribute to Kondo.
"She's one of the very special ones, and we're so glad she's still here," said Knight, who owns and operates the Victoria House care home in Hawaii Kai. "She's a caring and generous person, and we're extremely blessed to have her in our home."
Kondo was born and raised in Waimea, Kauai. She is the oldest of seven children, all whom have died except for the youngest, Richard Okamoto, who is 15 years her junior. She attended the Queen's Hospital of Nursing and graduated in 1925. She worked as a nurse until she was 76, when her boss said she was too deaf to keep working. She disagreed yet retired reluctantly -- but she never gave it up completely.
Now, Kondo helps Knight keep tabs on the other residents in the home. She makes her daily rounds and reports back to Knight if she thinks something is amiss. She worries if someone's feet are swollen or if their hands are too cold.
"Mrs. Kondo is deaf and blind, but she has a good mind," Knight said. "She's 100 years old and still very active. She walks around and checks on the other ladies. She still nurses every day."
Kondo has had a long life, but not because she is especially health-conscious. She loves chicken wings and ice cream and doesn't go to any great lengths to stay healthy, said Knight, adding that her robust health is probably due to her feisty nature and good sense of humor, both of which are in good working order.
"We have to keep a close eye on her," Knight said. "She tries to sneak food to the dog when we aren't looking. She's given my son so much money over the years; I always put it back in her wallet, and she just gives it back to him -- it's an ongoing cycle. She's a lot of fun and she's the boss."
