Of Honolulu, Hawaii, passed away peacefully on August 7, 2022, surrounded by family. A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, September 3, from 11 am - 2 pm at Honolulu Country Club—aloha attire suggested. In lieu of flowers or monetary gifts, we ask for stories of remembrance to be shared casually, amongst family and friends.Born in 1927 in Stockton, California, he was raised on an onion and potato farm in Sacramento as a child; was a concentration camp survivor as a teenager; and served in Japan and Korea as a Japanese Language Specialist with the U.S. Army Intelligence as a young adult. After his return to the U.S. from active duty, he attended Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. before returning to Japan to study at Keio University in Tokyo.
Tony met and married Norie in Japan, and in 1967, they opened the original Tony Honda in Chigasaki, Japan before moving their family to Hawaii to open their first U.S. dealership, Tony Honda of Waipahu, in 1977. He retired in 1999 at age 72, leaving his son, Stan to run the Tony Group Autoplex in Waipio.
Soft-spoken and unpretentious, he had a presence that made the people around him feel comfortable and at ease. Helping others and nurturing long-term relationships were the keys to his success, both in business and in life. In 1992, when asked what he liked best about his job for an article that appeared in Automotive News, he replied, "When you've been in business this long and you've got a lot of good employees, they become like family. That's the best part." He will be missed, but his family —and his extended family at Tony Group—will carry on his legacy.
He is survived by his wife, Norie; his 3 children, Lillian, Stan, Janet; and 6 grandchildren.
