Evelyn Matsue Miyashiro, co-founder and retired owner of Cafe 100 in Hilo, died Dec. 28. She was 94.
The Waianae, Oahu-born daughter of Okinawan immigrants opened the landmark Hilo restaurant in the Waiakea Town area of Hilo in 1946 with her husband, Richard, who died in 1982. They named it in tribute to the 100th Infantry Battalion, a unit of Hawaii-born Japanese-American soldiers in which Richard Miyashiro served during World War II, when Japanese-Americans faced bigotry at home because of the Pearl Harbor attack.
“She was compassionate and kind,” daughter Gail Miyashiro, who operates the popular eatery, said Tuesday. “On the other hand, she was the firm hand in the business. My dad would’ve given everything away to everyone, which he did. He probably would have run it broke, but my mom ran the ship, so to speak, and took care of the finances.”
The original restaurant was severely damaged in the April Fools’ Day 1946 tsunami. The family repaired the restaurant, but it was washed away, along with the Miyashiros’ family home in Waiakea Town, in the tsunami that hit Hilo on May 23, 1960.
“They lost everything; a lot of people lost everything,” Gail Miyashiro said.
The current Kilauea Avenue location opened in 1962.
“My dad was awarded the (Small Business Association) Small Businessman of the Year for the Western Region for rebuilding after the tsunami when President (Lyndon) Johnson was in office,” said daughter Kay Shintani. “My auntie always said Mom should’ve won the award, too.”
Richard and Evelyn Miyashiro left school after eighth grade to work and help support their families, making their accomplishment of building and operating a restaurant that is still thriving 70 years later all the more remarkable.
The daughters said their mother, who was a member of Kinoole Baptist Church and Hui Okinawa, was a strong Christian, didn’t allow employees to curse while at work, and insisted on courteous, proper customer service.
“She wanted an atmosphere where families were comfortable,” Gail Miyashiro said.
Visitation is 1:30-3 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 10, at Dodo Mortuary Chapel. Services are at 3 p.m. Casual attire; no flowers or koden (monetary gifts).
In addition to Gail Miyashiro and Kay (Wayne) Shintani, Evelyn Miyashiro is survived by daughter, Gloria (Raymond) Kobayashi of Hilo; sisters, Dorothy Terukina of Honolulu and Helen (Farrington) Blaisdell of Sacramento, Calif.; sister-in-law, Betty Miyashiro of Springfield, Mo.; four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren; nephews, nieces and cousins.
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
