Betty Mieko Mente Toyama my mother nisei (2nd generation) Oldest daughter of: issei (1st generation) parents & Hawaii sugarcane plantation workers Suejiro Mente - father Misato Umeda - mother
Betty Mieko Mente Toyama (nisei) 1924 - 2021
For Obituary, click this link: “Obituary & Biography: Betty Mieko Mente Toyama”
Daily Updates/Possible Changes to Life Celebration
THANKS SO VERY MUCH TO ALL WHO CAME AND PARTICIPATED IN MY MOM BETTY MIEKO MENTE TOYAMA’S MEMORIAL/LIFE CELEBRATION & BURIAL/COMMITTAL! IT WAS TRULY A WONDERFUL EVENT THAT EVERYONE LIKED! AND I’M SURE MY MOM MIEKO, HER SISTER THELMA AND ALL MENTE FAMILY AND OTHER ISSEI (FIRST GENERATION TO HAWAII) WERE THERE IN SPIRIT WATCHING AND ENJOYING! I WAS TOUCHED AND GRATEFULLY AMAZED AT THE OUTPOURING OF LOVE FROM ALL THAT CAME!!!
MOM! THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR MILLIONS OF KISSES, HUGS, SPECIAL LOVE AND CARE THAT YOU GAVE TO ME, VAL, JOANN, ANGELA, AND RONNY AS WELL AS ALL YOUR MENTE FAMILY MEMBERS! ONE DAY I HOPE TO BE WITH YOU IN HEAVEN!!
YOUR YOUNGEST SON JR.!
For Hiroshima Hula Sensei & Dancer: In case you need it, there is now is a new slower (70% of 100%) dreaming version of HIroshima Hula. It’s posted below, under the title:
“Hiroshima Hula Information & Choreography Suggestions.” Please try it. If you like it, use it. Thanks.
Aloha Everyone: Because of the recent rise in Hawaii’s Covid infections, just suggesting wearing a mask to my mom Betty Toyama’s Hosoi indoor Memorial Service and Life Celebration! Much Mahalo!
Important: Bon Dance Practice/Rehearsal for Family, Friends & Performers!
On the last song of the Life Celebration there is a bon dance for everyone to dance in. So that you are not too shy and will participate, I’ve reserved bon dance specialists to teach us 4 sets of simple movements. You be dancing to a song my friend and I created for my mom called “Mieko’s Dream!” We dance not for ourselves. We dance for our passed away family and loved ones!! To honor them!!!
Please attend our bon dance Practice/Rehearsal! It will be enjoyable & fun!!
Bon Dance Practice/Rehearsal
7/24 Sunday 6:00PM - 7:30PM
Washington Middle School
1633 S King Street
on the corner of King & Punahou Streets
IMPORTANT!!! We will be in the Band Building in the Choral Room. This is the most southwest located building on campus (most Makai and most Ewa). The building is unmarked but is closest to the corner of Punahou and Philip Streets. You can park in the main parking lot entering from King Street OR
You can park in the back parking lot entering from Philip Street. The rear parking lot is small and there will be a lot of cars there of parents waiting to pick up their kids. Call me if need be: (808) 271-7705
If more than 20 family members & friends, then we will change the location to have a bigger space/room. Will keep you posted. Thank you. Please let me know if you are attending this bon dance practice/rehearsal as soon as possible:
text message: 954-200-9835
email: thomas_toyama@yahoo.com
email: tom@tomtoyama.com
TWO LOCATIONS on 7/30 Saturday:
1) Betty Toyama
Memorial Service 8:30AM to 9:15AM
Life Celebration 9:30AM to 11:00AM
Hosoi Mortuary (in Mauka Chapel)
(near Downtown Honolulu)
30 North Kukui St.
Honolulu, HI 96817
2) Betty Toyama
Burial & Committal Service 12:50PM to 1:50PM
Nuuanu Memorial Park (outside at the cemetery “Mente” grave site)
2233 Nuuanu Avenue
Honolulu, Hawaii 96817
Cemetery Phone: (808) 537-5255 ext. 1
FIRST AND FOREMOST !!!
A GRATEFUL THANK YOU TO ALL FAMILY, FRIENDS, PERFORMERS, CAMERA, LIGHTING & SOUND SPECIALISTS THAT WILL BE DOING THE HOSOI MEMORIAL SERVICE, LIFE CELEBRATION AND/OR NUUANU BURIAL SERVICE
If anyone wants to ask me a question please feel free to contact me Tom Toyama directly at:
thomas_toyama@yahoo.com
tom@tomtoyama.com
feel feel to text or call me at: 954-200-9835
ALL performers that are in the Life Celebration, both the Catholic Memorial service and the Life Celebration takes place in the Mauka Chapel at Hosoi Mortuary.
After the 8:30 to 9:15 Catholic Memorial Service:
Dancers & Musicians will perform during the Life Celebration from 9:30 to 11:00.
The following is for information for Life Celebration performers (dancers and musicians).
Life Celebration is 7/30/2022 Saturday Morning 9:30AM to 11:00AM
(after please stay for bento lunch from 11:00AM to 12 noon)
Hosoi Mortuary (in Mauka Chapel)
30 North Kukui St.
Honolulu, HI 96817
Shelly Tomlinson is the Hosoi Mortuary funeral director in charge of both the Catholic Memorial Service and the Life Celebration. There is also a on-site service director that will be helping with the room setup. I do not know about the lighting for the performers in that room. I’ll try to find out and let you know. Also, if any performers want to check out the room where they will be performing, I’ll be meeting with the Hosoi Mortuary site service director on July 27th Wednesday at 12 noon to discuss the room setup, position of the seating, position of the front performance area, the circular bon dance area, the sound and lighting system, etc.
Memorial Prayer Service (will be updating/revising soon)
For family, friends and performers who want to attend. (Attendance is optional.)
8:30 Father Victor starts Prayer Service
Father sings & leads everyone in singing “Amazing Grace”
To prepare practice: Click on: Amazing Grace then click on the link that appears below it.
If does not work, copy and paste this link into your browser: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=u4qbmPpfG6s
Father sings & lead everyone in singing “How Great Art Thou”
To prepare practice: Click on: How Great Thou Art then click on the link that appears below it.
If does not work, copy and paste this link into your browser: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Cc0QVWzCv9k
9:15 Ends
Life Celebration Schedule/Order of Speakers, Musicians & Dancers: (TENTATIVE! Might Change!)
Currently Updating/Revising!
9:30 Speaker 1 Welcomes family and friends
9:35 Cousin: delivers a short prayer
9:40 Speaker 2 daughter shares a story about her mom (might show art work)
9:45 Speaker 3 son shares a story about his mom
9:50 Performance: son sings & plays piano (invites audience to sing along)
9:55 Speaker 4 grand daughter shares a story about her grandmother
10:00 Speaker 5 great grandson shares a story about his great grandmother
10:05 Performance: special guest artist Koto player performs 3 minutes solo
10:10 Speaker 6: a family member shares a shares story about Aunt Thelma & thanks her.
10:15 Speaker 7: another family member shares a story about Aunt Thelma & thanks her.
10:20 Slide show of mom and with Aunt Thelma as Koto player performs solo
10:25 Performance: special guest artist performs Okinawan song
10:30 Speaker 7: son shares a story about issei grandparents and issei
10:35 Performance: special guest artist and student performs taiko
10:40 Vibe solo by son
10:45 “Hiroshima Hula:” special guest artist & student perform Nihon Buyo
10:50 Special guest artist sing an issei canefield song
10:55 Special guest artist and her student lead everyone in Bon Dance to honor all issei, nisei, sansei and beyond that have passed away.
11:00 Tom Thanks everyone for coming and directs them to eat bento lunch.
11:00 Life Celebration Ends
11:00 Bento Lunch (Everyone including all family, friends, performers, camera, lighting, sound crew and funeral and on-site service director. Please stay for lunch. Would very much like to meet & thank all of you personally!
12:00 End Lunch & Pack up
12:20 Leave for Nuuanu Memorial Park for short Burial Service
EVERYONE PLEASE COME TO THE SHORT BURIAL SERVICE!!
In the spirit of Obon, I invite all family, friends including all Life Celebration Performers to come and honor my mother, her issei parents who were canefield plantation workers. Together we will be singing “Hawaii Aloha” to welcome them to their Hawaii resting place.
12:50PM Burial Service at Nuuanu Memorial Park (TENTATIVE SCHEDULE/ORDER! Might change!)
(Outdoors at “Mente” gravesite in the cemetery)
(2233 Nuuanu Avenue, Honolulu, Hawaii 96817 Cemetery Phone: (808) 537-5255)
12:50 Priest delivers scripture/prayers/blessings upon mom’s urn/ashes
12:55 son says a prayer and delivers a few words.
1:00 special guest artist singer(s) sing “I Miss You My Hawaii” while special guest artist hula dancer dances
1:05 special guest artist delivers prayers/blessing in Hawaiian language
1:10 Priest says final prayer, readings, and blesses the grave site.
1:15 special guest artist man, female singer(s) family, friends, all other performers all sing together “Hawaii Aloha while female hula dancer dances
1:20 son says I love you ma! You’re finally home! where you wanted to be! You may now Rest in Peace! Son places his lei around the Mente grave. He thanks everyone for their presence, prayers, blessings, & participation!
1:25PM End
Bon Dancers on “Mieko’s Dream”
Wow! Thank you very much to Lydia Morikawa!!! Grateful!
Bon Odori specialist will choreograph for Mieko's Dream, the Bon Dance.
You mentioned that only ONE set of movements is necessary for simplicity.
However, usually there are FOUR movements. Would you like to have ONE? or FOUR?
Let’s do FOUR! Thanks.
Circular dance room location: I’m hoping with the chairs/seating rows in the middle of room. We may be able to do bon dance traveling circular, around the seating, on the outer edges of the room.
Bon dance Rehearsal: Let’s schedule the rehearsal for:
7/24 Sunday 6:00PM - 7:30PM
Washington Middle School
1633 S King Street
on the corner of King & Punahou Streets
If more than 20 family members & friends, then Chizuko recommended we change the location to have a bigger space/room. Will keep you posted. Thank you.
Koto Player
Wow! Thank you very much to Sandy Tsukiyama!!!
Grateful she will do the 3 min koto solo and play for the 5 min slide show.
Hi Sandy.
Question:
If the Nihon Buyo sensei Sheree Tamura wants,
Can you play an additional 2 minutes of slow koto background sounds for the introduction? You could play a Hiroshima rice planting folk song or a Japanese folk song like “Akatombo” (red dragon fly) or just make slow koto sounds. It’s during the very beginning of the Nihon Buyo dance. You would start about 5 seconds before the dancer start and keep playing until right after the dancer bows. After she bows you stop. Then I’ll start the pre-recorded song “Hiroshima Hula.” Hiroshima Hula dance needs Japanese koto sounds to represent the newly arriving by ship “picture bride Misato.” Is it ok?