Background
He was born on a sugar-cane plantation near Hawi on the Island of Hawaii, and lived there until graduating high school.
He was born on a sugar-cane plantation near Hawi on the Island of Hawaii, and lived there until graduating high school.
At the beginning of World World War II, he was on the mainland United States, and subsequently escorted by Federal Bureau of Investigation agents to Hawaii, rather than placed into Japanese American internment camps as were mainland persons of Japanese Ancestry. He never showed any degree of bitterness, and was a constant spirit of joy. These were some of the most popular courses on the campus.
He frequently recounted an Out of Body Experience he"d had following an automobile accident in 1957 as a driving force in his life.
Together, Mits and Lynne set out on a new adventure that touched numerous lives for the better. They were frequent travelers, both on around the world sojourns, and to distant destinations, often as the guru for Young Presidents" Organization, for which organization he was a frequent invited speaker and counselor
In his later years, he often gave seminars on Death and Dying, relaying his many experiences in counseling families of those losing a loved one, whom he considered his teachers. He is acknowledged as a world leader on the subject of Death and Dying.
He leaves behind three children, Galen, Sophie Ann and April.
And three step-children, Richard, Walter and Christina. Step-sons John and Wiley preceded him in death. He constantly preached that we should not be afraid of death, and instead should embrace lieutenant
He was against dying in the hospital, and he died in his own house surrounded by family and friends at the age of 95 in August 2010.
In 2004 Mitsuo was named as a Living Treasures of Hawai"i. Among those crediting him with their success is the 2011-2015 Governor of Hawaii, Neil Abercrombie, who in his election victory speech of November 3, 2010 made specific mention of Mits" positive influence on his life"s work, thanking him for his service to Hawaii and stating inter alia: "He blessed us with his presence."
His best legacy, perhaps, is the Department of Religion that he founded at the Manoa campus, and which he led for forty years,
Many articles by others about Mitsuo"s work span several decades.