Harry T. Hasegawa

Harry T. Hasegawa died on September 2, 2024, a week before his 90th birthday. He was born in Hana, Maui, Hawaii in 1934 to Toshimasa Hasegawa and Shizuko Hasegawa (Hirose). Harry was the oldest of four sons, and they all worked in the family business, the Hasegawa General Store. He attended Hana Elementary School and Mid-Pacific Institute on Oahu for high school, where he played third base on the baseball team, was active in student government, and made life-long friends at Mid-Pacific Institute.

He matriculated at the University of Colorado Boulder and majored in business. After graduating, he returned to Hana to join his parents in the family business, the Hasegawa General Store. This Maui institution was started in 1910 by Harry's grandfather and grand uncle who were immigrant sugar plantation workers from Southern Japan. On the pretext of attending refrigeration school on Oahu, he started wooing Ewa Plantation school teacher Rosalina Anita "Nita" Nebrija. Before the peacetime draft of the 1950s found Harry, he enlisted in the Army and completed his military service working in the accounting department at Tripler Army Medical Center.

In 1961, Hollywood composer and conductor Paul Weston, a frequent visitor to Hana, wrote "The Hasegawa General Store." The first verse opened with:

On the island of Maui

Far from Waikiki

There's a place called Hana That is heavenly

And when you go there

You've got to see

The Hasegawa General Store

In 1962, Harry and Nita were married and made their home in Hana. Harry described Nita as his most trusted advisor and his unwavering support system who helped him achieve all of his goals.

Harry and Nita, who also started working in the store, leaned into the new publicity, which began a whole line of merchandise, starting with Hasegawa General Store t-shirts. The song brought fame and tourists to Hana, but Harry never forgot who his number one customer was: the people of Hana. True to the song's lyrics, "you just name it, they've got it there . . .," he sourced locally from Maui wholesalers, but he and Nita also traveled annually to the mainland for a national trade show to ensure that the isolated Hana community could buy needed hardware like basic nuts and bolts, as well as "muu muus, mangos and ukuleles too . . ."

While running the store, Harry and Nita welcomed three children in the 1960s: Neil, Susan "Susie," and Kelly. Harry became the general manager of the store in the mid-1970s when his parents went into semi-retirement. He was always willing to serve the community of Hana and became a notary public when he realized that the Hana people needed that service. For many years, Harry was the only notary public in Hana. By day, he managed the store, and at night, he got involved in civic affairs. He served on planning boards and the Hana Maui Trust, which provided scholarships to local students and grants to help community members. Harry served as a trustee (volunteer position) for 48 years from 1970-2018. He was the longest-serving trustee, which included over 20 years as president. During his tenure, the outreach to the Hana community expanded exponentially.

A firm believer in the importance of education, Harry and Nita sent all three children to Mid-Pacific Institute and encouraged them to explore the mainland by getting a college education. After graduating from college, Neil joined the store full-time in 1988, carrying on the family business into the fourth generation. In 1990, the store burned down. Working from a jerry-rigged phone under a plumeria tree beside the charred remains of the building, Harry started the painful process of rebuilding. The store kept all employees on the payroll and in less than a year, the Hasegawa Service Station opened for business. It was the only place in Hana where people could have photos developed, rent a movie, get documents notarized, and fill their car with gas, all at the same time. The store relocated to the old Hana Theatre down the street, where it continues for business today. Always looking for ways to improve the Hana community, Harry took the initiative by writing a grant to open Hana's first Hi-5 redemption center, saving Hana residents the 2-hour drive to redeem their glass, plastic, and aluminum beverage containers.

As Neil took over much of the day-to-day operations, Harry found a new calling, increasing healthcare for the Hana community. Harry was instrumental in protecting access to health care for the Hana Community. In 1995, when the Hana Medical Center was on the verge of closure, Harry spearheaded the effort to create the private, non-profit federally qualified health center, Hana Health. Through his advocacy, Act 263 was passed during the 1996 legislative session which provided for the transfer of the state-run medical center to the new non-profit organization. Harry served as the President of Hana Health from 1997-2005 and continued on as a board member until 2015. It is because of Harry's foresight and leadership that the full range of primary medical, dental, and behavioral health care, as well as 24 hour urgent care, is available to all Hana District residents regardless of their economic circumstances. After serving as board president for a number of years, Harry left the board to help his elderly parents and pursue grandparent duties.

In 2007, three years before marking a century in business, the Hasegawa General Store won the Small Business Association's "Maui Family Business of the Year."

Harry was a proud grandfather, or "Papa," as his four grandchildren called him. He was a dedicated "Uber" driver to eldest grandson, Brayden Hasegawa, and a cheerleader for volleyball playing Caelyn Hasegawa. He enjoyed watching videos of his mainland grandchildren, especially the ice skating and dance programs of Leila Slayton, and always smiled at the culinary exploits of his youngest grandson, Axel Slayton.

Harry is survived by: his wife, Nita Hasegawa; his children, Neil Hasegawa (Mitzi Hasegawa), Susan Hasegawa (Bruce Sherman), and Kelly Hasegawa-Slayton (Gary Slayton); his younger brothers, Lester Hasegawa (Reiko Hasegawa), Nolan Hasegawa (Michele Hasegawa); 4 grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews.

Harry's obituary will be posted on Legacy.com where you may leave comments and share your memories as well as your photos.