Choon James
Wayne Toshio Yoshimura, my favorite brother-in-law passed away peacefully on July 30, 2025 after engaging in the Hawaii Tsunami Evacuation. He had evacuated to his son's home in Kahuku. When he returned to his home in Laie, he took a shower and went to bed. My sister found him shortly after and realized that he had entered into his eternal rest. Perhaps the excitement and stress of the Tsunami Evacuation was too much for his weak heart. The belief and faith that families will be forever brings strength, peace, and comfort to the family. Wayne is now with his parents, and loved ones who have passed on. Wayne was very organized, kind, compassionate, helpful, and a wicked prankster and jokester. He lived an authentic no-pretense life filled with charity for all. This Leilehua High School mule was always grounded, steadfast, and steady in his aloha and love for people. He had friends from all over the world.Any one was welcome to his home for a meal or two, even to staying with them. His faith directed his life. He served a mission at the Tokyo Mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He was a Bishop in the Kahuku Ward. He had served in the High Council, scouting, and almost every lay position in the church he loved. He also worked at the Polynesian Cultural Center and as a Temple Recorder at the Laie Hawaii Temple.We appreciate his kindness and his great example. He was a great cook. We still use his recipes. He held no prisoners in teasing and jokes. One Thanksgiving we were assigned to bring pies. My husband forgot to put sugar in his pumpkin pies. That funny incident went into his jokes arsenal for a little while. One memorable story was when my sister and I were walking together from our off-campus housing (now home of MaryAnn Mapu) to the BYU-Hawaii Campus. Elder Watabe from Japan, who was serving at the Laie Temple Visitor's Center, came running to us as we walked along the Laie Temple on Naniloa Loop. "My heart is at peace. My heart is at peace," said Elder Watabe as he patted his heart on his chest.He explained that he had been concerned and worried about his friend Wayne Yoshimura whom he first met in Japan. Should he tell Wayne what he had been seeing? He knew that Wayne was about to get married. On the other hand, he also saw my sister (Wayne's fiancee) walking regularly with a haole student (my fiancee) with red hair. That day, he happily realized that there were TWO of us sisters!My sister is strong and believes in a loving God's Plan of Salvation for all His children and that she will see him again. Her wonderful children and friends are rallying around her. Thanks for the memories and mahalo for your kindness, delicious food, charity and no-hold prisoners jokes. It was always full of laughter and aloha. We were all on the mainland but we come back early to Hawaii because we didn't want Wayne to start rocking our bed to explain why we didn't attend his Celebration of Life today.😍The world was a better place because Wayne Toshio Yoshimura was here.❤