Kristin Gudbjorg Jonsdottir DeCoster -KIDDY as she is called-went to heaven on April 5th, 2021. Kiddy was born in Iceland, March 31, 1933. She met her husband Richard, stationed there in the Navy on a submarine. They were married April 20th, 1956. Richard left for war and Kiddy went to America with an Air Force Colonel and his family. She learned English and in 1962 became a United States citizen when they settled in Hawaii. Her husband was on the submarine USS Bowfin-SS-287 just after WWII. In 1979 they were driving down the highway and Dick spotted the sub at pier 39. They stopped to donate money to help restore the boat, and met Dan Del Monte, volunteering on the boat. They took Dan home for Christmas dinner. Kiddy and Dick volunteered to restore the boat with Dan. When the boat finally opened to visitors in 1981, Kiddy took in the first dollar. In 1997, Sadly Richard passed. In Iceland she would pull wool from the sheep, spin it, make yarn, and then use it to crochet, mittens, sweaters, hats, and whatever they needed. At home in Hawaii she made thousands of two color and tri color lei. The two color crochet lei Kiddy made for her church. Every month or so she would take 100 lei, and before Mass starts the ushers put her lei around the shoulders of people visiting, leaving or new parishioners and give them a Hawaiian kiss. The Red. White and blue lei, she made for the military. Sailor of the year for Navy and Coast Guard. They are all over the world. For the past 21 years, Kiddy would honor the fallen submariners by placing a lei on the subvets plaque at Memorial Walk at Punchbowl. She noticed there was no plaque for submariners so at the next subvets meeting she donated the first money to have one made. Kiddy also would bring up the wreath for the FRA Branch 46 at the Subvets Veterans day and Memorial day ceremonies at the Parche Memorial at Subase Pearl Harbor. She also brought up a lei to be draped over one of 52 plaques at the Memorial. She is a life member of the Women's Guild at Saint John Apostle & Evangelist Catholic Church, the Honolulu Council of the Navy League, Pacific Fleet Submarine Memorial Association, the Pan Am association, where her husband Dick was a cook for twenty years, and a member of the ladies unit FRA Branch46, also a member of the Kupuna Ohana-a fun group of seniors who meet once a month at a restaurant around town. Kiddy loved to help people as often as she could. Dan had Cancer and she took care of him. They used to go to the Relay for Life every year. It is for people with cancer and caregivers. She noticed the women with no hair. She made hats for them. She took the hats to Tripler Army Medical Center, Wahiawa General Hospital, and Kaiser cancer wards to pass out. She has donated to her church to help build the new One Community Center, supported the Oahu Veterans Center, funded two Bowfin Scholarships, donated to FRA Branch46, Arizona Memorial, USSVI Bowfin Base Pearl Harbor, and on and on and on. She and her husband Richard are such compassionate and caring people that they adopted a son a mother didn't want. He now lives on the mainland. Kiddy and Richard bought the food, cooked it, served it, and then ate with the homeless at IHS for six months in a row, part of the ministry at Saint John. They gave to everyone and volunteered for everything. Truly good people. Kiddy's funeral starts Monday 24 May, 2021 at 11am program then Mass at 12noon at Saint John Apostle & Evangelist Catholic Church 95-370 Kuahelani Ave, Mililani Town, 96789. Inurnment at Punchbowl. In lieu of flowers, you may donate to Saint John or Saint Francis Hospice Hawaii.
