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Howard Hamamoto, 93, passed peacefully at home on October 7, 2024. He was born on March 23, 1931, in Honolulu, to Hakumasa Hamamoto and Hanako Kawai. Though his parents divorced early in his childhood, his mother fiercely devoted her life to raising her only son. Through her drive, independence and determination, including managing Kimball’s gas station as a young single-mother in the 1930’s, she instilled in Howard those same qualities that enabled him to become one of the first Japanese-American senior executives at a Big Five corporation. His professional successes gave him the freedom to devote himself to serving the community and helping those in less fortunate circumstances. Howard was a graduate of McKinley High School (’49) and the University of Hawaii (’53) and worked in his career at Bank of Hawaii, GE Capital, Amfac Financial and Amfac Inc. From 1973-1984 he was President of the Property Division at Amfac that managed and developed all of Amfac’s extensive real estate holdings. Upon retirement from Amfac Inc., Howard started his own commercial real estate investment company in which he was active until the final months before his passing. Howard was an outstanding marksman and rose to become the Regimental Colonel of the ROTC program at McKinley High School during his Senior year. Upon graduating from UH, Howard enlisted in the US Air Force where he served a tour of duty at Hickam AF Base as a 1st lieutenant. He then joined the Bank of Hawaii which would lead to a long career in banking, finance and real estate. It was at the Bank of Hawaii where Howard met the love of his life, Joanne Russell, who would become the mother of his four children, his lifelong supporter and the unwavering heart of the ohana’s home life. It was a partnership that lasted until Joanne’s passing on June 29, 2013, but one that continued to bring him much joy and warm memories until his very last days. Howard’s adult life revolved around his family, his work and the Hawaii community. Family was first and foremost in his life and favorite activities were dinner parties and bar-b-q’s, holiday gatherings, annual trips to the outer islands, and regular trips to the U.S. mainland to visit his children and grandchildren that lived there. He supported and enjoyed his children’s many sports activities when they were young, and he also made sure he was ever present at the dinner table where he presided over lively and often contentious family discussions. Though exposed to Buddhism in his youth, he became a Christian and was an active and highly contributing member and volunteer at the Kailua Methodist Church, Central Union Church and most recently, New Hope. Throughout his career, Howard felt a strong desire to use the organizational and leadership skills he had developed in business to benefit and serve a variety of charitable and non-profit organizations in Hawaii. He was Chairman of an Aloha United Way campaign which saw a large uptick in participation by Hawaii’s labor unions and the military community, which he targeted for their untapped potential. He had long tenures as Chairman of both the Crown Prince Akihito Scholarship Foundation and the Japan America Society of Hawaii, two organizations which sought to strengthen ties and maintain good relationships between Japan and the United States. For his long and successful efforts, Howard received one of the highest honorariums from Japan that a non-Japanese citizen could receive. Howard also served on the Board of Goodwill Industries of Hawaii, on the Friends of Hawaii Charities and had a very long tenure as Board Chairman of Maunalani Nursing Home. While very serious about his work and obligations to his family and community, Howard was gifted with a quick wit and great sense of humor and had the ability to interact well with and relate to the wide diversity of people whom he would meet. During his long life, it’s safe to say that he filled it with professional accomplishment, family enrichment and significant contributions to the community at large. Howard is survived by his children, David (Marty), Pam, Mark and Paul; by his half-siblings, Elva, Warren (Cleyo) and Corday (San); by his grandchildren, Mia (Fergus Campbell), Neil, Lucy (George Mokdessi), Kate, Justin and Jessie; and by his great-grandchildren, Miles, Walker, Maude and Isla. A memorial service celebrating Howard’s life will be held at Mohala Farms, in Waialua, on Saturday, February 22, 2025, at 4 pm, with a reception to follow at 5 pm. Gifts in Howard’s memory can be made out to the Howard Hamamoto Memorial Fund. This Fund will continue Howard’s dedication to fostering direct contact between people of different cultures and national backgrounds and providing positive educational exchange opportunities between young people in Hawaii, Japan and other parts of the world. For more information about the Memorial Fund, or to RSVP for the service, please contact Mark Hamamoto at hhmemorialfund@gmail.com.
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