At 101 years young, Jeanette Akamine is a shining example of the dignity, resilience, and sense of belonging fostered every day at the Lanakila Multi-Purpose Senior Center, a program of Catholic Charities Hawaiʻi. Her life story—rooted in hard work, faith, and community—reflects the values that guide Catholic Charities’ mission to uplift kūpuna and strengthen families across Hawaiʻi.
Born on November 19, 1924, Jeanette spent her childhood on Kauaʻi, growing up in Wahiawa and Kekaha at a time when life was simple but demanding. There was no electricity and no running water. As a young girl, she helped her parents run a restaurant and store, fed chickens and pigs, and washed by hand the laundry of bachelor plantation workers. Clothes were soaked overnight, scrubbed clean, and pressed with a charcoal iron—a hollow metal box filled with hot embers that heated the iron’s base through small air holes. Careful handling was essential, and Jeanette once burned herself, leaving a red scar that stayed with her for years—a lasting reminder of the heavy responsibilities children carried in those days. She laughs now, remembering how children once played volleyball with a pig’s bladder, finding joy in the simplest moments.
At just 13 years old, Jeanette moved to Honolulu, where her family operated Myogaya, a restaurant on Nu’uanu Avenue, named after myoga, the bud of the myoga plant of the ginger family, used for seasoning. Surrounded by people from many cultures, Jeanette learned early the importance of respect, perseverance, and community—values that would stay with her throughout her life.
In 1944, Jeanette graduated from St. Francis Convent in Mānoa, marking an important milestone before the next chapter of her life began.
After World War II, Jeanette married her husband when he returned from the battlefront, and together they raised three children. Nearly four decades into her life, Jeanette embraced a new calling. She enrolled in beauty school, earned her license, and opened J’s Waikīkī Beauty Salon. Building her own business from the ground up, she demonstrated that it is never too late to learn, grow, or serve others. Even today, at 101, Janette proudly shares that she still holds her cosmetology license.
Life brought its share of loss. Jeanette lost her husband and later her son to cancer. Through grief and change, she leaned on faith, family, and an unwaveringly positive outlook. Today, she lives independently in Kāneʻohe beside her daughter’s family—supported, connected, and thriving.
Since 2002, Jeanette has been part of the Lanakila Multi-Purpose Senior Center. When she first sought membership, she was told that because she lived outside the district, she would need to volunteer 300 hours of service to the center, a policy that no longer exists. Rather than turning away, Janette volunteered more than 300 hours, earning her place through service. Even though her daughter served as a director at Lanakila at the time, Jeanette never asked for special treatment. “Honesty is the best policy,” she says—an ethic deeply aligned with Catholic Charities Hawaiʻi’s commitment to dignity and fairness.
Before the pandemic, Jeanette visited Lanakila four days a week, enrolled in several classes, including Conversational Japanese, Yui Buyo, Okinawa Dance, and enjoying the meetings of the Okinawa Nenchosha Club. Today, she still comes once or twice weekly, participating in the Okinawan Club, and Karaoke Class. Through Lanakila, she remains socially connected, mentally engaged, and spiritually uplifted—living proof of how Catholic Charities Hawaiʻi supports kūpuna in aging with grace and purpose. Strong social connections are a surprising cornerstone of healthy aging—they support cognitive health, emotional well-being, and resilience through life changes, often more than physical traits or longevity in one’s family.
In 2024, Catholic Charities Hawaiʻi helped 5,525 kūpuna like Jeanette across the islands stay connected, healthy, and supported—ensuring our seniors continue to thrive with aloha.
When she is not at the center, Jeanette stays connected through her computer—her “best friend”—keeping in touch with family and even learning dance steps online.
Asked the secret to living a long, meaningful life, Jeanette smiles and says, “Good genes and a plus attitude.” Inspired by an aunt who lived vibrantly to 107, she believes optimism, gratitude, and community are essential. She still maintains her friendly, fun sense of humor, joking, “I’m Akamine, not akamai. I wish I could be akamai, but I’m Akamine!”
At Lanakila, Jeanette Akamine is more than a centenarian. She is a reminder of the power of compassion, service, and belonging—and of Catholic Charities Hawaiʻi’s enduring commitment to caring for our kūpuna, honoring their stories, and walking with them at every stage of life.
