Gladys Hisako Higashi

Gladys Hisako Higashi was born on September 23, 1936 to Shinichi and Tamayo Harada at Paia Hospital in Makawao Township, Maui. She was the youngest of five children. Gladys went to Makawao Elementary School before moving to Honolulu to attend McKinley High School. While at McKinley, Gladys was the captain of the rifle team and she stated she was voted Ms. Hospitality. After graduating from McKinley in 1954 she made her way to the mainland to attend USC with the goal to become a dental hygienist.

However, shortly after arriving in Los Angeles, Gladys met Nobuto Higashi, from Kahului, Maui. Their romance blossomed and they were married on December 28th, 1957. Gladys and Nobuto made their home in Torrance, California where they raised their three children, Kevin, Dale and Erin. For ten years while raising her family, Gladys worked as a Customer Service Representative at the old United California Bank in Gardena. With her warm and outgoing personality, she made many friends in the community while working at the bank.

Sadly, after 38 years of marriage, Nobuto passed away from cancer in 1995. Although heartbroken, Gladys continued to be the glue that held the family together. She remained actively involved in her children’s and grandchildren’s lives as well as maintaining close contact with her many longtime friends. She loved treating friends and family to the tasty pastries she loved to bake, which was a gift to many of us here today!

Gladys also loved attending the reunions in Las Vegas with her lifelong friends from her days attending McKinley High School. She also enjoyed attending the OBG softball games and the monthly Thursday luncheons with “the girls” she’s known for decades.

Most of all, the greatest joy for Gladys was being a grandmother and great grandmother! She loved being a grandma to Ryann, Kayci, Kayli, Randi, and Elli. The arrival of her first great grandchild, Mikaela was a blessing she embraced with all her heart.

Happily, Gladys was able to spend a fun get away in Las Vegas at the end of January with many of her family members. Gladys always loved to take trips to Las Vegas but having lots of family members there with her made this trip extra special. The icing on the cake is that she came home a big winner by hitting a Royal Flush, several four of a kinds (one with Aces), and a number of penny slot jackpots! It was very special having her relatives there to see her beaming with joy one last time!

Gladys passed away unexpectedly but peacefully in her sleep on February 15, 2025.

We will all miss her dearly but she will forever be in our hearts.

Please see a recording of the service here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xczlX2tQmro