Shinye Gima's Obituary
Shinye Gima, 98, passed away peacefully on June 14, 2023, joining his beloved wife, Pauline. He is survived by brothers Charles (Elaine) Gima, Stanley (Sally) Gima, Richard (Nani) Gima, and sister Elaine Gima, as well as his sisters-in-law, Katherine Gima, Sumiko Gima, Blanche Isaki, and Patricia Gima. He will be dearly missed by his large and loving ‘ohana of many nephews, nieces, great-nephews, great-nieces, and great-great-nephews and great-great-nieces.
Shinye was born in Pu‘uloa, Ewa Plantation, on April 10, 1925, the second of ten children born to Shinyu and Mitsuko Gima, who came to Hawai‘i from Tamagusuku-son in Okinawa. Although he was not the eldest son, Shinye took his family responsibilities very seriously and always looked after his younger siblings and later their families, with love and support. Sometimes the love came with a lot of scoldings, but he did it all for our sake. Shinye was a devoted American who served in the U.S. Army Military Intelligence Service in WW2, using his translation skills for the Army and the Okinawans in the last days of the Battle of Okinawa. After his discharge, he completed his Education degree at UH and taught for the DOE for decades before earning his Ph.D. in Educational Psychology at UH, where he taught Audio-Visual Technology and Instructional Design as an Assistant Professor of Instructional Systems Technology. He retired after 39 years of teaching.
Shinye was an avid golfer, a lover of classical music, and a sports fan, especially baseball. Because he was proud of his Okinawan ancestry, he was active with the Okinawan Genealogical Society of Hawaii, and he was honored with the Hawaii United Okinawa Association’s Legacy Award in 2017. He was equally proud of being a U.S. Veteran, and was active in the MIS Veterans Club, serving as president in 2020. He was honored to be part of the MIS unit that collectively received the Nisei Veterans Congressional Medal in 2010. Shinye was always a gentleman and loved charming all the ladies he met—most especially his wife, Pauline (Sylva) Fernandes, whom he married in 1995. Together, they traveled to Portugal, Spain, Japan, and Okinawa, and shared many wonderful adventures together before she passed in 2017.
Shinye retained his sense of humor, his keen wit, and his independence (stubbornness) to the very end. Although we will miss him greatly, we will keep his memory in our hearts forever.
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