Uncle Masaya passed away today

Uncle Masaya passed away today. I was blessed to be at the hospital so I could say a final goodbye. Last week Tuesday, he fell while getting out of the car - Aunty thinks that he felt faint or got dizzy - anyway, he fell straight backwards hitting his head on the cement. He got a brain bleed from the impact. The really bad part of it was that he has a heart problem for which he takes blood thinners, but his brain bleed wouldn't stop and he needed a blood clotting medicine - but that would have affected his heart. So, for a week he stayed in the ICU hoping that everything would normalize on its own. This morning, he had a massive stroke and his blood pressure was dropping. Aunty and Eric kept him on blood pressure meds until everyone in the family could come by to say their goodbyes. Right before he passed, he opened his eyes a final time...I hope that he could see all of us there and feel of our love for him. He passed away peacefully at 1:30pm surrounded by his family.

I will always remember him as someone who was the most fun person to be around. When I was a kid, he would always play with me no matter what. He would toss me in the air, give me horsey rides, would let me jump from my Grandpa's mango tree into his arms. He was strong and active - loved the beach and picnics with the family. I remember him taking me to the beach and I would watch him swim laps at Ala Moana Beach. He was also the first to take me snorkeling. I went to Japan and Okinawa with he and Aunty Dorothy when I was 12 years old. I went through Christmas and New Years and even missed some school! It was a fun time - he showed me his hometown in Okinawa. We travelled up north in Japan to Takayama and had a snowball fight there. My first and only experience with snow. He was a World Ward II veteran for the Japanese military but spent most of his career as a cook for Flamingo. I remember going to the old Flamingo, which is now Restaurant Row, all the time - he used to serve me french fries and teri beef. I also got to go in the back where he showed me the kitchen and let me stand in the huge freezer. But, I think his true passion was for gardening. He could grow anything and he would grow it BIG! He was always modest about his vegetables and fruits saying it wasn't that good or big enough but they were, believe me! I'll miss his hearty laugh, his smile and the way he would always make you feel that you were the person he wanted to see most in the world.

Take care Uncle...until we see each other again.