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Fran, as she preferred to be called, died in Colorado Springs, CO on Dec. 17, 2016 following a brief illness. She was the first-born of David Chin Kook Ro and Ruth Eun Hi Ro on Feb. 17, 1935. Raised in Wahiawa, HI, she was a 1953 Leilehua High School grad and continued her studies at Sacramento State University in CA. Married to William "Bill" Tokumoto on Sept. 10, 1955, Fran raised their four children, creating homes for her family in the Philippines, two towns in TX, CA, Guam, VA, back to Wahiawa during Bill's tour in Viet Nam, then Taiwan and again HI over the course of his Air Force career. As a mother, Fran was determined her children experience all the beauty life has to offer. Their education was paramount. An insatiable reader, she was self-educated on an impressive array of subjects, particularly the arts. The Wahiawa Public Library was her childhood sanctuary. Her love of books and passion for life-long learning became her legacy. With her youngest children off to college, and on her own after 29 years of marriage, Fran chose Palo Alto, CA to call home. She embraced the northern California lifestyle for 14 years until long-standing health concerns led her closer to family. Fran is survived by her four children, Lani (Philip) Manning of Colorado Springs, CO, Brian (Deborah) Tokumoto of Belmont, CA, Gayle Tokumoto (Sean Brennan) of Portland, OR and Anna Tokumoto (Steven Fruhwirth) of Berkeley, CA; brother, Allan Ro of Aiea and sister, Julia Ro of Waialua; father of her children, William (Dora) Tokumoto of Fresno, CA; former sister-in-law Charolyn "Sharry" Ro of Waipahu; grandchildren, Melissa (Chris) Jaworski, Joshua Manning, Sean Manning and Zander Fruhwirth; great-grandchildren Kylee, McKenna and Ethan Jaworski; nieces Sharan Ro and Vina (Royden) Yamada; nephews Richard Ro, Steven (Maki) Ro, Kelvin Ro, Randy (Kay) Ro and Derrick Tokumoto; former niece-in-law, Jan Ro; grandnieces Courtney Ro, Sydney Ro and Kaitlin Ro; and grandnephews Timothy Ro and Lucas Ro. Preceded in death by her parents; brother, David Richard Ro; sister-in-law, Marilyn Sanders; mother-in-law, Katherine Nakata Tokumoto; father-in-law, Robert Tokumoto; and brother-in-law, Richard "Dick" Tokumoto. As a final legacy befitting Fran's lifelong commitment to education, her body was donated to science. The study involved research into petite women and osteoporosis. Interment will be Saturday, September 30, 2017 at 10:30am, Nuuanu Memorial Park.
Fran, as she preferred to be called, died in Colorado Springs, CO on Dec. 17, 2016 following a brief illness. She was the first-born of David Chin Kook Ro and Ruth Eun Hi Ro on Feb. 17, 1935. Raised in Wahiawa, HI, she was a 1953 Leilehua High School grad and continued her studies at Sacramento State University in CA. Married to William "Bill" Tokumoto on Sept. 10, 1955, Fran raised their four children, creating homes for her family in the Philippines, two towns in TX, CA, Guam, VA, back to Wahiawa during Bill's tour in Viet Nam, then Taiwan and again HI over the course of his Air Force career. As a mother, Fran was determined her children experience all the beauty life has to offer. Their education was paramount. An insatiable reader, she was self-educated on an impressive array of subjects, particularly the arts. The Wahiawa Public Library was her childhood sanctuary. Her love of books and passion for life-long learning became her legacy. With her youngest children off to college, and on her own after 29 years of marriage, Fran chose Palo Alto, CA to call home. She embraced the northern California lifestyle for 14 years until long-standing health concerns led her closer to family. Fran is survived by her four children, Lani (Philip) Manning of Colorado Springs, CO, Brian (Deborah) Tokumoto of Belmont, CA, Gayle Tokumoto (Sean Brennan) of Portland, OR and Anna Tokumoto (Steven Fruhwirth) of Berkeley, CA; brother, Allan Ro of Aiea and sister, Julia Ro of Waialua; father of her children, William (Dora) Tokumoto of Fresno, CA; former sister-in-law Charolyn "Sharry" Ro of Waipahu; grandchildren, Melissa (Chris) Jaworski, Joshua Manning, Sean Manning and Zander Fruhwirth; great-grandchildren Kylee, McKenna and Ethan Jaworski; nieces Sharan Ro and Vina (Royden) Yamada; nephews Richard Ro, Steven (Maki) Ro, Kelvin Ro, Randy (Kay) Ro and Derrick Tokumoto; former niece-in-law, Jan Ro; grandnieces Courtney Ro, Sydney Ro and Kaitlin Ro; and grandnephews Timothy Ro and Lucas Ro. Preceded in death by her parents; brother, David Richard Ro; sister-in-law, Marilyn Sanders; mother-in-law, Katherine Nakata Tokumoto; father-in-law, Robert Tokumoto; and brother-in-law, Richard "Dick" Tokumoto. As a final legacy befitting Fran's lifelong commitment to education, her body was donated to science. The study involved research into petite women and osteoporosis. Interment will be Saturday, September 30, 2017 at 10:30am, Nuuanu Memorial Park.
Our deepest condolences to the family and friends of the deceased
