FRANCIS TSUTOMU ODA

Francis Tsutomu Oda passed on
Feb 13, 2025.

On 13 February Dr. Francis Tsutomu Oda shook off his mortal coil and embraced the infinite. He was the youngest of the five children of Hatsuyo and Harry Oda. Raised in the tin pan alley of Makiki his family struggled to attain the American dream–his parents founding Oda Catering and raising their children in the years when Hawaii was still a territory. At a young age Francis was struck by a singular event when his father Harry had a health crisis. He was caught in the agony of wanting to save him and yet he knew nothing about the human body or medicine, and that moment changed his life. Attending Iolani high school he applied himself to his studies and exerted himself in athletics: both football and boxing. When he graduated his academic excellence proved his worth and he matriculated to University of Michigan in Ann Arbor: the first of his family to attend college. After first applying to medical school and being denied, he redoubled his efforts and committed himself to a life of excellence recognizing that an exceptional life required significant sacrifices, persistence and vision. By the time he graduated medical school he was encouraged to go into research at Yale but instead decided to join the Air Force, where, as a surgeon, he worked at the forefront of oncology treatment research. His next stint in the Air Force would change his life forever: he was transferred to Japan to further his service where he met Anna Wall, the love of his life. Returning to Hawaii, they got married and settled down as he began his practice. He adopted three infant children Jonathan, Jeffrey and Erin, whom he raised with great expectations of furthering the attitude of excellence he aspired to. He saw his life as an endless quest in pursuit of truth and insight, and anyone who called him a friend or family member was immediately struck by this sentiment–he was not so fond of small talk as he was of the key questions and inquiries that would lay bare the essence of what he was intent upon understanding. His practice had four main components: as a trauma surgeon he would, on call day and night, perform triage thinking on his feet and doing his best to save peoples lives. As a teacher of University interns his intensity and lessons always hit their mark. As a thoracic surgeon he continually pored over new research in order to stay abreast of developments in his field. He also spent time caring for young detainees in the Juvenile Justice System in Koolau. Around this time he met his best friend Roger Schwimmer who inspired him to set his sights higher as a business owner. They partnered and established multiple businesses including a Pioneer Chicken franchise in Kahala. Sadly their time together was cut short too soon by Roger’s passing. When he retired he began a new chapter of study in the burgeoning field of genetic research. His timing was excellent and he was able at that time to inspire local hospitals to allocate funding in the pursuit of cutting edge genetic medicine. He also applied his leading edge knowledge of this field in the preservation and furthering of the Queen Emma Foundation’s investment goals. His timely efforts and advice were lauded as his insights and attitude of unending learning bore fruit for the benefit of many. In the wake of those successes and in the pursuit of contentment he spent his last days with his wife Anna in an apartment that echoed his aspirations and lifelong principles: the view from his study looking down on the Iolani campus; the view from his living room set on the vastness of the horizon and the place where the sun sets. Rest in peace Father.