Roberta Satsuki Hironaka's Obituary
Roberta Satsuki Hironaka, 87, of Honolulu, Hawaii passed away on December 17, 2017. She was born to Toki (Sasaki) and Tomoozo Hidano in Ele'ele (New Mill), Kauai on December 14, 1930; she was the youngest of eight children.
She lived on Kauai, until age 10, then family moved to Honolulu and lived on Frog Lane in Liliha and then moved to Palolo Valley.
She attended and graduated from Farrington High School, Class of 1948. She went to Heald Business College thereafter and learned secretarial skills. After graduation, she began a career as a Secretary, then Executive Secretary.
She retired in 1990, after serving for many years working for the Federal Government at Pearl Harbor, Fort Shafter, and ending her career at Fort Ruger for the Hawaii National Guard as an Executive Secretary. After retirement, she was involved in and worked for the University of Hawaii Elder Law as secretarial help for over 10 years.
Roberta was married to Albert Masato Hironaka on August 17, 1951 at Makiki Christian Church.
Roberta was voluntarily involved with the Diamond Head Theater for many years, helping to run the box office.
She was a member of the Waialae Baptist Church; but rarely attended in her later life due to her bad back surgery, which left her partially disabled.
Roberta's most important events in her life were learning how to make, paint, then firing up her Japanese style ceramic art pieces, seeing her grandchildren growing up, retiring from the National Guard and entering the next chapter in her life when she turned 60.
She also enjoyed dancing hula when she was able to (every week for almost 30 years), orchid and fern potted plants (she loved and always was proud to show off her ferns), and keeping things forever.
Roberta liked listening to Elvis Presley's songs and she bought a lot of his albums when he died in 1977. She also liked to listen to songs from Simon and Garfunkel and Hawaiian music.
Special people who have influenced Roberta's life in a special way were: All the officers she worked with in the past, including Doug Sonderman, General Ito, Colonel Ida, and in her later career, Mr. Jim Pietsch (professor at the University of Hawaii Law School), her Japanese ceramic teacher, and for many decades, Aunty Leilani Alama (who ran a hula studio in Kaimuki).
Roberta was a very loving, caring, generous, proud, persistent and effective person who looked out and cared about others before thinking about herself; always willing to help those around her. She was a major "social butterfly" and would go out about town with her friends until her late 70's. She also always loved and worried about her family.
Roberta is survived by her children, Mark (Raquel) Hironaka, Derek (Marlene) Hironaka, Brad Hironaka and Robyn (Dr. Michael "Mike") Kurosawa; six grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Celebration of Life service for Roberta (along with her husband, Albert Masato Hironaka) will be held on Saturday, January 20, 2018 at Diamond Head Mortuary; visitation from 10:00 - 11:00 a.m., service to begin at 11:00 a.m., with inurnment service to follow 2:00 p.m. at Diamond Head Memorial Park.
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