Evelyn Ayako Kamakawiwoole's Obituary
Evelyn Ayako Kamakawiwoole was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, on May 11, 1933. She was the fourth of 10 children born to parents Rev. Robert Tadao Tanaka and Rev. Annie Mutch. She grew up in Kaka’ako, Honolulu, calling it the best place of her whole life, and attended McKinley High School. Following school, she married, moved to Kaimuki, raised not only her children but also many of her grandchildren, and enjoyed being a cheerleader at countless basketball, football, volleyball, and baseball games along the way. Beyond just a hobbyist, she was skilled with her hands and was an accomplished sewer, crocheter, and baker. She was an avid genealogist and lovingly and tirelessly researched, compiled, wrote, and documented her ancestry.
Evelyn passed away peacefully at her home in Kaimuki on July 3, 2021. She was predeceased by her husband, Douglas Kamakawiwoole, and is survived by sons Len “Brada” and Lee “Kalani”, daughters Leilani, Lin, and Lea, 18 grandchildren, 39 great-grandchildren, and 3 great-great-grandchildren. She is also survived by siblings Robert Tanaka, Iwalani Gomard, Wilma Makilan, Edward Tanaka, Louise Nawatani, and Kenneth Villabrille, and a multitude of nieces and nephews.
Services will be in Honolulu at Diamond Head Mortuary, on Friday, August 13, 2021. Viewing is open to the extended family and friends at 9:45 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., followed by private service and burial at Diamond Head Cemetery.
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