Winifred Toshie Lau

When the love of her life went to his eternal home on November 20th , their intertwined hearts could not be separated. On December 18 th , our beloved mother, grandmother and great-grandmother Winifred Lau passed from her earthly life, to be with her husband Walter in their heavenly home.

Winifred Toshie was born to Matsu and Hatsuji Fujimoto in Waihee, Maui on January 6,1928. Losing her father at the early age of four, she, along with her three sisters, were raised by her mother in the plantation town of Waihee. While in high school, Winnie worked as a maid in the plantation managers homes. Little did she know that the lessons she learned about etiquette and fine dining would enrich her and her future husband, Walter’s lives in the adventures God had in store for them.

Winnie graduated from Baldwin High School in Kahului, Maui in 1946. Aspiring to be a seamstress, she completed two years at Maui Vocational School which led to a lifelong love of sewing. She proudly called herself Mrs. Sew and Sew. Inspired by the story of a soldier from Waihee, whose life was spared by a prayer book that protected him from a bullet, she was baptized in the Catholic Church in her late teens. Joining the St. Francis Xavier Club and her love of bowling set the stage for her meeting Walter, falling in love and getting married almost 77 years ago on January 22,1949 in the old St. Augustine Catholic Church in Waikiki.

Settling in Honolulu, Winnie and Walter were blessed with a son and five daughters. The children attended Catholic schools keeping Winnie busy sewing all their uniforms. Although Winnie’s days were filled with the busy tasks of homemaking, she still found time to welcome many friends into their home, like the St. Francis Xavier Club members, the Brothers from Damien High School and their ballroom dancing friends. Her wittiness and off the wall sense of humor made them feel right at home and many lifelong friendships were created. Fostered by UE (University Extension) her love of sewing, crocheting, flower arranging, and gardening led her to be involved in school and church related arts and crafts projects, carnivals, bazaars and fundraisers.

Winnie’s love of ballroom dancing led them to become active members of the Hawaii Ballroom Dance Association. Going on cruises was a fun way for them to show off their stuff! When Walter’s professional sphere of influence went from local to state to national, Winifred was the perfect partner for him, especially with her passion for ballroom dancing and traveling. In 1990, Walter became president of the National Society of Public Accountants and Winnie served as First Lady, spreading aloha wherever she went.

Winnie loved living in Manoa Valley, especially during her daily sunrise walks. One of the main reasons she walked was to keep in shape for her travel bug which took her to 46 of the 50 states and 45 countries. She was proud of her 16 grandchildren and 24 great grandchildren, resulting in many trips, locally, neighbor island and to the mainland to celebrate birthdays, graduations and other significant events. One of the family’s favorite treats was her amazing mango pie!

An original member of the St. Pius X Food Pantry, she was faithful to her calling, enjoying the comradery of fellow members and serving the needy. Wednesdays were her favorite days, joining in on the numerous activities provided by Hui O Manoa. Winnie learned how to make rosaries in 2004. She turned into a one-woman rosary factory, making an estimated 20,000 rosaries, touching lives all over the world.

When her razor-sharp memory for names, faces and dates started to fade, the effects of dementia and the aging process became apparent. Her wit and the way she lite up with the visits of the grandchildren and great grandchildren, especially the little ones, never dimmed. In her struggles with dementia, Saturday Mass and rosary making gave her a sense of purpose.

Winifred is survived by her children, Lansdale (Deborah) Lau, Laurene (Ned) Raleigh, Karen Lau, Kenwyn (Terence) Enriques, Jocelyn (David) Kitashiro, and Tina Lau (Joe Medina); her 16 grandchildren, David (Noelle) Lau, Lauren (Benjamin) Call, Jaclyn (Cole) Patterson; Kimo (Myra) Kolasinski, Aaron (Jessica) Kolasinski; Erin Cavanaugh (Terry Carmichael), Denise Lau (Jason Calabrese); Ryan (Cheryl) Enriques, Lydia (Tyler) Kim, Tersha (Matt) Carpenter, Kevin Enriques (Isidro Ramos); Devin (Michelle) Kitashiro, Bryce Kitashiro, Brad (Kelsie) Kitashiro; Shaun Lau, Jayci (Jason) Oshiro; and her 24 great-grandchildren, Jon, Clara, Daniel, Eleanor, Dean, Kade, Janie, Rhett, Chloe, Celeste, Claire, Nathan, Caolán, Odhrán, Logan, Kanoa, Zachary, Jessica, Dax, Mila, Kenzie, Karlie, Ayden, and Emily. She is also survived by several nieces and nephews.

In the early morning of Winnie’s last day with us, the words of Psalm 143:8 must have been on her mind, “Let the morning bring me word of Your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in You. Show me the way I should go, for to You I entrust my life.” With that, God executed His perfect plan for the ending of and a new beginning for Walter and Winifred’s love story, their burial together and our celebration of their heavenly life for eternity.

A Joint Wake Service for Walter and Winifred will be held at Borthwick Mortuary, Maunakea Chapel, 1330 Maunakea Street, Honolulu, Hawaii 96817, on Friday, January 2, 2026. Visitation at 5:00pm, Service & Rosary at 6:00pm followed by Eulogy and Visitation until 7:30pm.

On Saturday, January 3, 2026, a Joint Funeral Mass for Walter and Winifred will be held at 10:00am at St. Pius X Church (2821 Lowrey Avenue, Honolulu, Hawaii 96822) with a pre-Mass program at 9:15am including the Eulogy. A reception will follow in the Parish Hall. Walter and Winifred will be buried together at 1:00pm at Hawaiian Memorial Park, 45-425 Kamehameha Highway, Kaneohe, Hawaii 96744.