JOSEPHINE YEE Obituary

JOSEPHINE SIN KYAU YAP YEE Josephine Sin Kyau Yap Yee, 93, passed away peacefully on December 30, 2025. Born to Charles On Yap and Lucy Goo Yap, on the hillside of Makawao, Maui, Territory of Hawaii. Jo Yee enjoyed country living, where she and her siblings looked forward to swimming in the pineapple field irrigation ditches after doing chores. To help their Dad transport provisions, they rode their donkeys/horses, with Jo riding her favorite horse, Hershey, alongside the ridges of Haleakala Crater to Wailuku, Maui. She moved from Puunene, Maui to Honolulu and earned her Business degree at a business college in Honolulu. Married and divorced to the late James K. J. Yee, she is survived by her daughter, Valerie Yee Martines; daughter, Claire Yee; son, Bradley Yee; wife, Margie Yee; four grandchildren, Matthew Martines, Katherine Martines Forsyth, Gabriel Yee, and Michaela Mort; and six great grandchildren,Tobias Mort, Kayden Mort, Tessa Mort, Owen Martines, Micah Mort, and Eiliana Mort; brother, Paul Yap; wife, Sallie Yap; sister, Jenny Jai; nieces and nephews. During Jo Yee's early teenage years, she started her employment with the Maui Pineapple Company, Ltd. (MPC). Jo Yee's career spanned 62 years, serving initially as paralegal for various attorneys in Honolulu; and court reporter; 34 years as Executive Secretary, Department of the Army, Tripler Army Medical Center; and 25 years as Secretary, State of Hawaii, Department of Transportation, Maintenance Division. Known for her energetic and sparky sense of humor, Jo enjoyed skiing for nearly 40 years until the age of 83 years. Since the age of 5, she enjoyed playing her piano and played classical music effortlessly and was also dynamic on the violin, ukulele, and flute. Josephine Sin Kyau Yap Yee was a devoted Mom, Popo (grandmother and great grandmother), Sister, and Aunty. She received Jesus Christ as her Personal Savior and Blessed by God. We are all grateful for her kind and loving ways and we are celebrating the amazing legacy she leaves behind. We thank Jo for making us feel special, providing help when we were in need of assistance, and having incredible impacts on our lives. Private services held.