JOHN HARRY RICE PLEWS John H.R. Plews passed away in Honolulu, Hawaii on March 18, 2015. John was born in Lihue, January 7, 1934, on the Island of Kauai, to his loving parents John Christopher Plews and Edith Rice Plews. John's family, part of the Kauai Rices, was of Missionary decent with direct lineage to William Hyde Rice. His Maternal Grandparents were Charles Atwood Rice and Grace King Rice. He had one sister, Anne Hyde Rice Plews Moncrief, who passed in June of 2014. John spent his first 11 years on Kauai before heading to his Father's homeland of England to attend his father's former school, Charter House. After a brief stay in England, John and his family moved to Maryland where he attended Phillips Academy. He then took his academic pursuits to Yale for Undergraduate studies. Following Yale, John joined the army and was stationed in Ft. Chaffee, Arkansas. He served in the army for 2 Years (1956-58) and then attended Harvard Law before finally returning to his family home in Hawaii in 1962. John practiced law for many years at the law firm of Robertson, Castle, & Anthony in Honolulu. His most prominent case was the Robinson vs McBride Water Rights case leading to a Hawaii Supreme Court decision (1973) defining water as a "public resource" and not a "privately owned resource" in the State of Hawaii. However, his real love remained the Garden Island of Kauai, or more specifically Kokee. Spending time at his rustic cabin in the mountains was what John lived for. He was an avid naturalist and would often take world renowned botanists on hikes around the Kokee State Park in order to document the native flora that grow only in those forests. He was an early member and Trustee of the National Tropical Botanical Gardens (NTBG). He was also President of the Hawaiian Mission Children's Society 1974-76, as well as board member and ongoing member of the Historical Society. He was frequently asked to help with historical research due to his nearly photographic memory and numerous notebooks filled with his own personal research. In addition to Hawaiian history and plants, John had a great love of his dogs. He enjoyed their company immensely and they were both his constant companions and nuclear family. His sister Anne was also very close to him. In later years he had daily conversations with her, usually via telephone, to share events and make sure all was well. He is survived by his sister Anne's three daughters and grandchildren, Mary Elizabeth (Emmy) Copriviza (h. Michael), Juliet Edith Moncrief (h. Kuma), Heather Anne Waters (h. Richard), Grand nephew Anthony Copriviza and Grand nieces Courtney Copriviza, Lauren Waters and Katie Waters, and numerous cousins. A memorial will be held at Lihue Cemetery on Tuesday June 30th, 2015 at 4:30 PM. In lieu of flowers, Donations to National Tropical Botanical Gardens (NTBG) or the Kauai Museum would be greatly appreciated.
JOHN HARRY RICE PLEWS John H.R. Plews passed away in Honolulu, Hawaii on March 18, 2015. John was born in Lihue, January 7, 1934, on the Island of Kauai, to his loving parents John Christopher Plews and Edith Rice Plews. John's family, part of the Kauai Rices, was of Missionary decent with direct lineage to William Hyde Rice. His Maternal Grandparents were Charles Atwood Rice and Grace King Rice. He had one sister, Anne Hyde Rice Plews Moncrief, who passed in June of 2014. John spent his first 11 years on Kauai before heading to his Father's homeland of England to attend his father's former school, Charter House. After a brief stay in England, John and his family moved to Maryland where he attended Phillips Academy. He then took his academic pursuits to Yale for Undergraduate studies. Following Yale, John joined the army and was stationed in Ft. Chaffee, Arkansas. He served in the army for 2 Years (1956-58) and then attended Harvard Law before finally returning to his family home in Hawaii in 1962. John practiced law for many years at the law firm of Robertson, Castle, & Anthony in Honolulu. His most prominent case was the Robinson vs McBride Water Rights case leading to a Hawaii Supreme Court decision (1973) defining water as a "public resource" and not a "privately owned resource" in the State of Hawaii. However, his real love remained the Garden Island of Kauai, or more specifically Kokee. Spending time at his rustic cabin in the mountains was what John lived for. He was an avid naturalist and would often take world renowned botanists on hikes around the Kokee State Park in order to document the native flora that grow only in those forests. He was an early member and Trustee of the National Tropical Botanical Gardens (NTBG). He was also President of the Hawaiian Mission Children's Society 1974-76, as well as board member and ongoing member of the Historical Society. He was frequently asked to help with historical research due to his nearly photographic memory and numerous notebooks filled with his own personal research. In addition to Hawaiian history and plants, John had a great love of his dogs. He enjoyed their company immensely and they were both his constant companions and nuclear family. His sister Anne was also very close to him. In later years he had daily conversations with her, usually via telephone, to share events and make sure all was well. He is survived by his sister Anne's three daughters and grandchildren, Mary Elizabeth (Emmy) Copriviza (h. Michael), Juliet Edith Moncrief (h. Kuma), Heather Anne Waters (h. Richard), Grand nephew Anthony Copriviza and Grand nieces Courtney Copriviza, Lauren Waters and Katie Waters, and numerous cousins. A memorial will be held at Lihue Cemetery on Tuesday June 30th, 2015 at 4:30 PM. In lieu of flowers, Donations to National Tropical Botanical Gardens (NTBG) or the Kauai Museum would be greatly appreciated.
Our deepest condolences to the family and friends of the deceased
