HILO — Fumio “Fumi” Hamakawa has a presence — and a smile — that’s hard to miss.
The 91-year-old Hilo native is often seen cruising through the hallways of the Yukio Okutsu State Veterans Home in his wheelchair with a twinkle in his eye and a journal tucked on his lap, filled with a mishmash of positive quotes that he’ll hand off to staff members to make additions.
A World War II veteran, Hamakawa also is one of Yukio Okutsu’s longest-standing residents. He currently serves as resident council president. He’s a regular at various events in the community, including an annual Memorial Day service and the VFW Post 3830’s yearly Hilo Bay 5K Run/Walk, which is taking place this morning.
The annual Fourth of July run/walk, called “A Salute to Our Veterans,” pays tribute to those in the community who’ve served in the military. Yukio Okutsu residents traditionally lead the way each year. Hamakawa has participated every year.
“Everyone knows Fumi,” Stacyn Lopez, Yukio Okutsu’s recreation director, said during a recent interview with Hamakawa in the facility’s chapel. “He’s built many relationships here and in the community, and people know him just by his smile and positive energy, which he has all the time no matter what he’s been through. A lot of people know him.”
Life hasn’t all been easy for Hamakawa.
He was just 18 when he entered the Army, where he served three years overseas, largely in Japan and the Philippines. And he can still conjure to mind the day he learned Japan attacked Pearl Harbor: He was a student at Hilo High School and remembers how things quickly changed when the United States entered the war.
“There was a war going on,” Hamakawa recalls. “So consequently we were not allowed to (have) night lights. No houses could (have lights) on after six o ‘clock, and no one could leave their home. But (despite that) people in Hilo were always the same friendly people.”
Hamakawa also is a three-time stroke survivor. He was just 50 years old when he suffered his first stroke, which left him in a coma for nine days. His second came 12 years later, and his third in 2008. He has been a resident of Yukio Okutsu since then.
These days, Hamakawa is using his past challenges to help others.
Lopez said Hamakawa’s an ambassador for stroke awareness at Yukio Okutsu and often distributes pamphlets to fellow residents about warning symptoms. He also enjoys sharing his story with others during stroke education awareness sessions in the chapel, she said.
“He’s always educating other families and residents here,” Lopez said. “He carries that journal around with him and shares (with others) about the obstacles he’s overcame in life. He’s just an inspiration for others.”
Email Kirsten Johnson at kjohnson@hawaiitribune-herald.com.