Joseph Nishimoto Obituary

Joe and I played golf together as we were both members of Waialae CC.
Not sure if I shared this memory before but Joe taught me about gambling. I first met Joe as a member of his Club Day tournament team. He approached the other team and suggest a friendly $100 Nassau bet. Maximum loss would be $300. I had just started working and only had about $20 in my wallet so told him I couldn't afford to make that kind of bet. He told me not to worry and that he'd cover my portion of the bet. I was distressed because I could cause him to lose money if we didn't win. I was so nervous that it hit my first shot into the ditch on the 16th hole. One the last hole we were winning but needed to save par from the trap on the 15th hole. Our other partner hit the trap shot over the green and I was up next and hit a decent sand shot to within about 8 feet of the hole. Joe was supposed to play out the sand next but said he didn't need to hit his shot because he would make the putt. At the time, Joe was the best putter at the Club, so putted first and easily made the putt to save par winning $100 for each team member. Joe was listening to a transistor radio all during the round and after 9 holes needed to use the land line at the 10th hole snack shop. I later found out that he was making bets on baseball. At the dinner afterwards he told me that the $100 Nassau bet was insignificant because he had bet $25,000 on various baseball teams that day!
Because Joe taught me about gambling I enjoy going to Las Vegas and place small bets on sporting events. I had season tickets to University of Hawaii Football and Basketball games, so invited Joe to attend sporting events with me. I miss going to ball games, eating sushi and playing golf with Joe. Gordon J. Mau

I met Joe at Waialae Country Club when I returned to Honolulu from law school at a "Club Day". I was shocked to find out that the other men in our group wanted to play a friendly game of $100 Nassau, front 9, back 9 and overall score (if you lost everything, you could lose $300). I didn't have $20 in my wallet and told Joe that I couldn't participate. He told me not to worry about it and that he would cover my bet. I felt so much pressure playing because I didn't want to be responsible for him losing any money, that I hit my first shot in the ditch on the 16th hole. Eventually our team won $200 a person because Joe was such a good putter (in my opinion the best putter at Waialae CC for 25 years). Joe would go with me to UH football games as we both loved sports. We also both enjoyed wine, having taking wine classes at the "Grape Escape" together. I started collecting wine in the mid 70s and Joe was an original member of my wine tasting group. We share many bottles of vintage Bordeaux at my home and at various restaurants. Joe taught me to eat sushi and sashimi, treating me to a number of dinners at Kabuki in Pearl City and Kabuki on Kapiolani Boulevard. Whenever I formed "scramble" teams, I always invited Joe because he was a great putter. We played in scramble tournaments at Waialae CC and traveled to Kauai and Maui together to compete in "scramble" tournaments. I traveled with Joe and Maude to Monterey to play golf at Pebble Beach and other courses in the Carmel area. Joe also taught me about gambling, something I now enjoy but at a much lower level. I still use wine and cognac glasses Joe gave to me after he moved out of his home in Pearl City.
I have such fond memories of the time I shared with Joe.......going to football games, tasting wine, going to sushi bars and playing golf.

We were a family of 10 children living in Waipahu. I believe we were one of his first patients when he opened his practice in Pearl City because I remember being treated by him for stomach pains when I was then a senior in high school in 1965. During the summer months when my seven brothers would get into mischief that required medical attention, I was the one who drove my mother and patient to Dr. Joe´s first office in lower Pearl City. He was very kind, humble, and generous as he knew my parents were struggling financially. I continued to go to him even as an adult and even when I moved to Honolulu. He was one of the best doctors I´ve ever had. Thank you, Dr. Joe. You will always be remembered.

Dr. Joe..what a great and productive life...RIP