Sophie Un Joo Pai died at home of natural causes on the morning of June 16, 2022, at age 86. Twelve hours later, after holding his wife's hand during and after her death, then seeing her off from the garage of their Aiea home, surrounded by their six children and four of their eight grandchildren, Mun Seek Pai died at age 99, also of natural causes.Sophie Un Joo Pai was born in Seoul, Korea on July 24, 1935, and raised with her younger brother Joe. She moved to Waialua, Oahu when she was 19 years old with the help of her four older Hawaii-born half-brothers and sisters, graduating from Waialua High School class of 1960. When her youngest child turned ten, she went to work as a nurse's aide at the Waimano Home Training Center. So very friendly, talked to everyone, with a personality that brought people together, she learned English quickly after arriving in Hawaii and at her death spoke nearly perfect if slightly pidgin-accented English. She loved her family, church, and singing in the choir, was a terrific cook (highlights were her kalbi, shoyu chicken, mandoo, chop chae, and kimchi), and everything she planted in her garden, from papayas to chili peppers, grew and thrived.
Mun Seek Pai was born and raised in Kealia, Kauai on February 20, 1923, the second of five surviving children, and the de facto father to his younger siblings after their father died when he was eight. He was preceded in death by brothers Ton Seek, James, and William, and sister Doris Olsen. He worked at the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard for 37 years, retiring in 1991 as the crane operator supervisor in his Shop 02. During his time at Pearl Harbor he also served honorably for two years in the U.S. Army after World War II, and two years in the U.S. Naval Construction Battalion, better known as the Navy Seabees, during the Korean War. After his retirement he worked another 10 years for the City and County of Honolulu Wastewater Department. Always the smartest person in the room but never flaunting it, he loved his family and everything Korean and Japanese, took meticulous care of his lawn, built an assortment of very sturdy although not the most elegant wooden benches, stools, tables and bookshelves after his retirement, and was by his own account a jack of all trades and master of none. If there was a book on it, he read it, and learned to do it.
Mun Seek and Sophie Pai were married on November 25, 1960 in Honolulu, Hawaii. They lived in Waikiki, then Liliha, finally settling in Pearl City in 1972 to raise their six children. They are survived by sons Ernest (Lorraine), Lawrence (Chikako), Jacob (Angela) and Curtis Pai (Mia), daughters Esther Sewell (Geoffrey) and Carolyn Pai, eight grandchildren Michele, Kelson, Geoffrey, Grace, Eric, Allie, Elisabeth, and Katherine, and one great-grandchild Emilia. Mrs. Pai is also survived by her brother Joseph Park. In addition, Mr. Pai would have wanted to acknowledge his oldest and closest niece, Mona Stevenson Rouse.
Services will be held at the Mililani Mortuary Makai Chapel on September 8, 2022. Viewing starts at 8:30 am, services begin at 9:30 am, and a bento reception at the adjoining hall follows.
Private burial will be at the Hawaii State Veterans Cemetery at 1:00 pm.
