Joseph Monaco's Obituary
Joseph Monaco, 93, passed away peacefully in his sleep on October 2, 2023. He is survived by his wife of 55 years, Mary (Mimi) and sons Joe, Kam, and Vincent.
Joe was born in Salem, MA, on February 21, 1930, to Salvatore and Sebastiana Monaco, who emigrated to America from the Italian island of Sicily. He was raised in Salem, MA, and graduated with honors from Salem High School. He received a Navy ROTC scholarship to attend Tufts University from which he graduated in 1951. Commissioned as an Ensign and upgrading to Lieutenant, Joe completed his 3 year tour of Naval duty during the Korean War. These tours included several port stops in Hawai’i, which piqued his interest to someday return to the islands. When Joe returned to civilian life, he attended the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, where he completed his MBA. For the next ten years he pursued careers in teaching and finance. The opportunity to make his permanent move to Hawai’i arose during the Vietnam War in 1967 when he was hired as a civilian employee for the Navy where he served as a Communications Specialist at Pearl Harbor and CINCPAC Fleet from which he retired in 1994.
Ending his 38 years of bachelorhood Joe married Mary (Mimi) McDonald in December 1968 at Star of the Sea Church. They had twins, Joe (married to Kelly Fujimura) and Kam (married to Keala Kakihara) in November 1969, followed by Vincent (Jaclyn Kim) in February 1973. While raising his sons and caring for his invalid mother at their home in Foster Village, his quiet, unassuming, non-interfering manner guided his sons through their formative years, resulting in their returning that devotion 100-fold during his advancing years and declining health.
In his retirement years, Joe loved living in Waikiki, swimming at Waikiki Beach, weekly picnics at Kaimana Beach with family and friends, a nightly glass of wine, shopping at Ross on senior Tuesdays, hosting out-of-town guests, and watching his ever-expanding brood of grandchildren grow up. Joe leaves behind nine beloved grandchildren: Hailey, Kanalu, Sunny, Zoe, Grace, Makena, Makai, Lily, and Hoku.
His family believes he is now sailing on the heavenly seas he so dearly loved. May he forever rest in peace.
A Chapel Service will be held on Saturday, January 6, 2024, at Diamond Head Mortuary on 18th Ave. Visitation will be from 9:00-9:30 am with service and refreshments following. Inurnment at 12:30 pm.
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