James Kiyoshi Nakano's Obituary
James Kiyoshi Nakano, 88, of Pearl City, passed away peacefully on May 22, 2026, holding the hand of his beloved wife and surrounded by his loving family.
James was born and raised on the Big Island, in a small town called Papaikou. He was the second of five children born to Jiro and Sumiyo Nakano. They didn’t have toys back then, but that didn’t stop them from having fun. They had rocks for rock fighting…don’t worry, they used pebbles, not boulders. They made helmets by cutting the big jabong in half and wearing it on their heads. Hopefully they removed the pulp before they wore it. And long before the Sky Slide was built, they rode down the flumes leading to the sugar mill. Luckily, no one was grounded up in the mill and they all lived to tell the tale.
James moved to Oahu to attain his Masters degree in Social Work at the University of Hawaii. It was there that he met the love of his life, Helen. From then on, they were like two peas in a pod. James held his wife’s hand like they were first dating, for his entire life.
James retired as a supervising social worker at the Waimano Training School and Hospital (WTSH). He told us that the acronym WTSH stood for “We Try So Hard,” which was his subtle way of poking fun at his 30-year government sentence (oops, I mean service) with the State of Hawaii.
Outside of work, James was a loving husband and father, and an exercise fanatic as well. While attaining his Master’s Degree, he took his daughter to preschool, and played with her afterwards at the beach, park or the zoo (admission was free back then). He coached for his son’s soccer team even though he hadn’t played soccer before.
As a Sandan (third-degree black belt) Aikido Sensei, he performed in martial arts demonstrations at the Neal Blaisdell. He later moved on from instructing Aikido, and took karate lessons with his son. James attained a black belt in karate as well. While sparring in class one day, he accidentally broke Nelson’s finger. The Karate Sensei scolded them for sparring with open hands, so James and Nelson continued sparring properly with closed fists (with the exception of Nelson’s broken finger which was stuck in broken position). They went to the ER promptly after class ended.
James was often seen jogging up the steep incline on Ho’olaule’a Street to train for the Honolulu Marathon. He punched and kicked at his punching bag in the garage (probably envisioning some of the Workers that “Try So Hard”). He pounded dumbbells against his abdomen, inadvertently damaged furniture, and broke a few of his own toes. Even though he didn’t drink raw eggs in a glass, James was like the Rocky Balboa of Pearl City.
James will be missed for his quiet humor and quick wit. We’ll miss hearing him sing “Tiny Bubbles” and “My Way” while having a cold one. James gave his family the very best part of himself, and we couldn’t have asked for better. We miss him so very much and love him dearly.
James is survived by his dearly beloved wife, Helen; son, Nelson (Ceteriya) Nakano and daughter, Nadine (Matthew) Zane; grandchildren, Miguel (Veronica), Cassandra and Noelani Nakano, and Hope (Feo) Zane; great-grandchildren, Eliana, Hadassah and Ezra Nakano; siblings, George (Helen) Nakano, Edna Anzai and Charlotte Shinsato; numerous nephews and nieces. He was preceded in death by his younger brother, Melvin Takashi Nakano.
Service will be held on Monday, July 6, 2026 at Mililani Memorial Park, Mauka Chapel. Visitation begins at 5:30 pm, followed by a service at 6:00 pm. Casual attire.
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