Birth date: Mar 7, 1936 Death date: Jan 15, 2023
Agnes Saito Obituary Agnes Yoshiko Saito, 86, of Honolulu, Hawaii, passed away on January 15, 2023. She was born on March 7, 1936 in Honolulu, Hawaii. She is survived by sons, Garrick Saito and Jason Saito (Alyssa); brothers, Ro Read Obituary
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Eulogy for Agnes Saito, February 17, 2023.March 7, 1936 - January 15, 2023Written and delivered by: Garrick SaitoGood morning.I’d like to begin by saying thank you all for being here, as we lay mom to rest and say our final goodbyes. Having you all here this morning means a lot. It means you were a big part of her life that she never forgot. In different ways, she loved each and every one of you.Agnes Yoshiko Otake was born on March 7, 1936 at Kahuku Hospital in Ko’olauloa to Takayoshi and Utako Otake. Her father was born in Fukushima Ken, Japan. Her mother was born in Wailua.Agnes was the oldest of four children. She had one sister, Betty, and two brothers, Roy and George.Growing up in Honolulu, mom lived with her family in various neighborhoods including Kalihi, Nuuanu and Kapahulu. As a young girl, she took piano lessons and belonged to the Brownies, a level in the Girl Scouts.Mom attended Royal School, Central Intermediate School and Kaimuki High School. She graduated from high school in 1954.During her summer breaks in high school, she worked at Dole Cannery as a packer, the person who puts pineapple slices into the cans.I remember her telling me that during this period of her life, she was excited to be earning money for the first time. With her first paycheck, she bought herself a watch, which she always wanted for the longest time, but could never afford. With later paychecks, she also bought living room furniture for the family. She said that she was so happy and proud to be able to contribute back to the family for the first time.Mom also tells a story about how Aunty Betty was invited to a high school prom and needed a fancy dress for the event. But back then, the family lived modestly and there was no money in the family budget for such luxuries. Of course, Aunty Betty was sad because all the other girls would have something beautiful to wear, but she wouldn’t. But, because mom was working and now had money of her own, she took Aunty Betty down to Margo’s Dress Shop and bought her a beautiful blue prom dress. Of course, Aunty Betty was overjoyed that her big sister had, once again, come to her rescue. Mom ‘secretly’ told us that she really wanted that blue dress for herself, but preferred to spend the money on Aunty Betty’s dress instead. As she told the story, she cried joyful tears of her fond memories of the time. After high school, she got a clerical job at a print shop. This is where she met my dad. Dad was friends with the owner of the print shop and came to visit him from time to time. He met mom, they dated and eventually fell in love. I remember mom saying that when she first saw dad, she thought he was so handsome. I have to believe the attraction was mutual.On September 29, 1956, the young couple married at Makiki Christian Church and mom became Agnes Saito. Mom was just 20 years old at the time.Dad joined the US Army right out of high school.Military life must have been an exciting and eye-opening experience for mom. This new chapter in her life meant she had to leave everything behind - the only home she had ever known and more importantly, all of her family and friends.During the early years of her marriage, she eventually found herself living on military bases in Okinawa, Georgia and Virginia.Shortly after getting married, the young couple welcomed their first son into the family, which they named Garrick (that’s me). Garrick was born while dad was stationed in Okinawa.Five years later, their second son, Jason, was born when the family lived in Virginia.Dad went to work, so the family could pay the bills. Mom discovered that raising two small children was more than a full time job.She cooked for us, cleaned up after us, did the grocery shopping, put clothes on our backs, helped us with homework, scolded us when we were naughty, gave us support, guidance and encouragement when we needed it, taught us right from wrong and did all of the other challenging things that comes with being a parent.I think she was successful in raisi
