Lahaina resident Florence Hasegawa celebrates her 100th birthday.A recent study concluded that happy people live longer. If they want a living example, they need look no further than ‘Ainakea in Lahaina, the home of Florence Hasegawa, who will celebrate her 100th birthday on Tuesday, May 20.
When you meet Mrs. Hasegawa, her face exudes joy. Even when she is not smiling, her eyes sparkle and her skin glows. Less than five feet tall and under 100 pounds, Mrs. Hasegawa smiles, makes very sharp and funny quips and laughs a lot.
As the oldest and longest-hired employee of the State Health Department, Mrs. Hasegawa has been issuing marriage licenses for nearly 70 years. Her late husband, Judge George Hasegawa, would marry the couples she issued marriage licenses to, and their daughter, Pat Masumoto, would play Here Comes the Bride at wedding ceremonies. Thousands of couples have started their married lives at Mrs. Hasegawa’s home office.
On the day of this interview, California resident Andy Garcia and his fiancée, Jennifer Atkins, were scheduled to arrive. “When we decided to get married, we asked around as to where we could find a marriage license agent. Everyone we talked to recommended Florence,” said Garcia. “In Lahaina, Florence is known as the agent to go to who brings couples good luck.”
When asked about her business, Mrs. Hasegawa said, “I used to have quite a bit—nowadays just a few. People call me and make an appointment with me, but when the time comes, they don’t show up.” She said, “I want to quit. They can let me quit. My doctor, Dr. Percy, wants me to keep working as long as I am able to, for my health.”
At 100, Mrs. Hasega-wa is a picture of health. She exercises every day by doing aerobics in her bed before she starts her day. She does not use a wheelchair and proudly said, “I don’t take any drugs. I take doctor’s prescriptions only when I’m sick, but I seldom get sick.”
In fact, Mrs. Ha-segawa is a conscientious student of health and reads constantly from magazines and journals on the latest developments in healthcare. She takes a wide array of vitamins, minerals and nutritional supplements daily, which she orders from Mainland companies. In 2004, Mrs. Hasegawa was in a life-threatening accident. A neighbor’s truck backed into her while she was on a walk and dragged her along the pavement. The skin on her arms and legs was scraped off almost to the bone, but miraculously, she had no broken bones. When she was brought to the emergency room, doctors had little hope that a 96-year-old woman could survive such severe injuries. However, after several months of surgeries and physical therapy, Mrs. Hasegawa recovered completely.
Aside from her twice-weekly half-hour walks and an occasional trip to the doctor’s office, Mrs. Hasegawa would rather stay at home. But this doesn’t mean she has cut herself off from the world. She reads the newspaper each day and stays on top of current events, as well as names, dates and places from the past. A conversation about the upcoming presidential election was extremely illuminating.
“I’m a Republican,” she said. “If I’m alive by the end of the year, I can vote. I cannot go to the polls. I vote absentee.”
When asked about her opinion of the candidates, she said, “Obama I don’t mind. I’d like to try him. He might be OK. He might be able to help our country. I want to try him… I might try him. I’m a Republican, but when the voting time comes, I might decide to try Obama.” However, Mrs. Hasegawa said Hillary Clinton was tarred by the indiscretions of her husband and wouldn’t consider voting for her.
Besides her daughter, Pat, she has a son, Robert K. Matsushita, on O‘ahu. Her other three children, Matsuko Matsushita, Annie I. Ueoka and George M. Hasegawa, are now deceased. She is the proud grandmother of nine grandchildren, great-grandmother of eight great-grandchildren and has one great-great granddaughter. Mrs. Hasegawa worked as a practical nurse at Pioneer Mill Hospital, an employee of Baldwin Packers Cannery, public accountant, travel agent and property manager.
Active in the Lahaina-Honolua Senior Citizens Club for many years, she held several leadership positions, including committee chairperson, secretary, public speaker and tax advisor. She also mastered the ‘ukulele and hula after the age of 60. Currently, she is a member and volunteer of the Kaunoa Nutrition Program. Over the years, Mrs. Hasegawa has been actively involved in the University Homemaker Extension Clubs’ Maui Homemakers Council, the West Maui Community Advisory Committee, the Salvation Army, the American Cancer Society and the County Office of Elections. A member of the Lahaina United Methodist Church, she has earned the nickname “Songbird of Lahaina” for her role as lead soprano in the church choir. She has traveled around the globe, and in 2001 was selected as Outstanding Older American Woman of the Year for Maui County.
As Mrs. Hasegawa blows out the candles on her birthday cake this month, she will celebrate a century of happiness—a lifetime as one of Maui’s living treasures.