Eric Soto Obituary

ERIC SOTO Eric was born to Eduardo Soto and Eunice Yau Tai Mew in Kalakaua Housing, Waikiki, July 29, 1944, and passed away at home with his wife, daughter, and grandson by his side, after a four-and-a-half-year battle with cancer, on the afternoon of April 8, 2025, at the age of 80. He was the middle child of seven children, Mary Nola (Pacheco), Edward Soto, Jr., Linda (Perkins), Gwen (Ormita), Angie (Hal Mann), and the late Jerry Soto. Eric had fond memories of Waikiki of the fortiesexploring the Kalakaua drainage canal with his older brother thinking they were the first humans to see it; riding ponies in Kapi'olani Park; fishing from stands on Ala Wai canal; and going to the zoo. He and his wife speculated that they probably met playing under the zoo banyan trees when they were toddlers, where both families frequently spent Sunday afternoons. He attended Maryknoll until second grade, when the family moved to a small farm lot at the border of Wai'anae and Makaha across the street from the Mauna Lahilahi beach. When he wasn't in school, Eric was busy with farm work and helping his dad and older brother in their homemade fishing boat. The family would go on outings in Mokule'ia, harvest mountain apples, and visit other beaches around the island. He never was sure why he did it, because he was a skinny short kid for his age, but he decided to try out for JV football at Wai'anae. Coach Newton Kekahio saw something special, and Eric went on to a flourishing high school football career where he made All Star and received a football scholarship to the University of Hawai'i at Manoa. He was forever grateful to Coach Kekahio, who not only gave him constant encouragement, but frequently took Eric home after practice to eat Mrs. Kekahio's famous stew and rice. At UHM, Eric majored in Tropical Agriculture, where Dean Shosuke Goto never gave up on convincing Eric that he was not just a jock, but intelligent with the potential for a great future. With Dean Goto's mentoring, by his senior year Eric had gone from a D student to an A student. During his time at UHM, he joined the Marine Reserves and served for six years. In addition to honing his athletic skills and learning the value of working as a team, as a UHM athlete, Eric made wonderful friends, joined the athletic fraternity Alpha Sigma Nu, and spent many breaks under the "tree" in front of Hemenway Hall in their company. One of his teammates, who later went on to become his coach, was Larry Price, whose help and encouragement were a critical part of helping Eric get his college degree. Larry once said of Eric, "If I had to walk down a dark street at night in a bad part of town, Eric Soto is the man I would want to be with me." His junior year he met his wife to be, Judy Suggs. He was 20 and she was 19. From that day, they were always together, and they married in September of 1968. Upon Eric's graduation, Manager Bill Case and Field Superintendent Jay Sasan hired Eric as Roads and Transportation Foreman at C. Brewer's Pa'auhau Sugar Plantation near Honoka'a on the Big Island of Hawai'i. In the fall of that year, he and Judy were married at Sacred Heart Church on Wilder Avenue in Honolulu. They began married life in a single-wall plantation house with a corrugated metal roof that "sang" in the rain. From their back yard, they looked through coconut palms to see snow-covered Mauna Kea. Jay Sasan, another of Eric's great mentors, and his wonderful wife, Diane, took both Eric and Judy under their wings, introducing them to plantation social life, as well as giving Eric great management training. In the early seventies, Eric was transferred to Wailuku sugar on Maui as Assistant Irrigation Superintendent. He presented papers to Hawai'i Sugar Planters Association on the use of target masters in irrigation and became part of the first team to introduce drip irrigation to the state. He never forgot all that Jay did for him and was thankful for his mentoring for the rest of his life. He joined the Maui Jaycees and, using the skills he had learned in the sugar industry, led them to the number one Junior Chamber in the state. Maui Mayor Elmer Cravalho then asked him to join the county as head of economic development, which he did, soon rising to head of the parks department, and then heading the Maui Department of Water Supply. Eric struck out on his own when Mayor Cravalho resigned, trying everything from making carob candies to applying waterproofing to water tanks, while doing consulting on the side. When the oil crunch of the early eighties came, he pulled out his retirement funds and started an energy-saving business on Maui, but the work led back to Honolulu where he parted ways with his Maui partners. His clients began to ask him to do small construction renovations while installing the energy saving devices and PER, Inc. was born. He became an award-winning contractor as small businessman of the year in the 8(a) Business Development program for minority-owned businesses. Eric also did numerous residential developments on both O'ahu and the island of Hawai'i. After his businesses had been prospering for a few years, Eric decided to pursue a sport he had dallied with off and on for years and took up golf. As in everything he did, he went all in, taking lessons and practicing daily. He was invited to join Oahu Country Club and spent many many happy times there in the company of friends who became life-long. Throughout his career, Eric always took time for his family. On Maui, he taught his daughter, Elizabeth, to pick 'opihi and to body surf at Makena Beach. Later on, one of the few things that could take him from post-golf socializing was visits from his grandson, Jakob. Eric enjoyed his life to the fullest and was often described by people who knew him as "larger than life." He would want all of you to remember, "LIFE IS GOOD". Arrangements Provided By: Oahu Mortuary